318 LOUIS AGASSIZ. 



is found an interesting description of the in- 

 cidents of this excursion and the appearance 

 of the glaciers in winter. In ascending the 

 course of the Aar they frequently crossed the 

 shrunken river on natural snow bridges, and 

 approaching the Handeck over fearfully steep 

 slopes of snow they had some difficulty in 

 finding the thread of water which was all that 

 remained of the beautiful summer cascade. 

 On the glacier of the Aar they found the 

 Hotel des Neuchatelois buried in snow, while 

 the whole surface of the glacier as well as the 

 surrounding peaks, from base to summit, wore 

 the same spotless mantle. The Finsteraar- 

 horn alone stood out in bold relief, black 

 against a white world, its abrupt slopes afford- 

 ing no foothold for the snow. The scene was 

 far more monotonous than in summer. Cre- 

 vasses, with their blue depths of ice, were 

 closed ; the many-voiced streams were still ; 

 the moraines and boulders were only here and 

 there visible through the universal shroud. 

 The sky was without a cloud, the air trans- 

 parent, but the glitter of the uniform white 

 surface was exquisitely painful to the eyes 

 and skin, and the travelers were obliged to 

 wrap their heads in double veils. They found 

 the glacier of Rosenlaui less enveloped in 



