270 Professor Agasslz on the Glacier Theory, 



I was thus enabled to follow out the lamellar structure of the 

 glacier, not only as far as the first interruption of the canal, that 

 is to say, to a depth of about 80 feet, but even, although less 

 distinctly, to the bottom of the hole. I therefore consider 

 myself entitled to conclude that the laminae traverse complete- 

 ly the glacier properly so called, becoming more and more 

 blended in its mass, whereas they exhibit very different pheno- 

 mena in the higher regions, as I shall afterwards notice. Every- 

 thing leads us to believe that the phenomenon of the lamellar 

 structure is connected with the infiltration of the water into the 

 mass of the glacier ; and as we have seen, by the experiments 

 mentioned above, that water exists in a liquid state as far as 

 we have yet been able to penetrate, and that, on the other 

 hand, the lamellar structure extends also, according to all 

 appearance, through the entire mass, it must be by observing 

 in a continued manner the mode of the infiltration of the wa- 

 ter in the ice, especially at places where the lamellar struc- 

 ture begins to present itself, that is to say, at the limit be- 

 tween the neve and the glacier, that we can hope to attain the 

 explanation of this important phenomenon. I propose to pro- 

 secute these observations during the sojourn I expect again to 

 make this year on the glacier of the Aar. At the same time 

 I beg those naturalists and natural philosophers who may visit 

 other glaciers, to direct their attention to this subject, being 

 persuaded that they will deduce important results, not only * 

 for the study of glaciers, but for physics in general. 



I ought here to mention an experiment which I made with 

 the view of ascertaining the modifications to which the different 

 bands of this ribboned ice are subjected by the influence of 

 the air. At a spot where the lamellar structure was very 

 distinct, I uncovered a space about a foot square under 

 the moraine, taking care to clean the surface well. We ob- 

 served attentively the action which the air exercised on this 

 surface newly exposed. At first the blue bands began to grow 

 pale insensibly ; fissures seemed to be formed in their interior ; 

 but I rather think that they merely became visible by the dis- 

 placement of the air contained in the mass, and which is often 



n bursting out in small bubbles at the surface. At the end of 



