Small Temporary Glaciers of the Vosges. 235 



Neve, 



Neve ice, 



Vescicular ice. 

 At other places, the veins of mirror ice which we had re- 

 marked on the Rothenbach, two months before, still existed. 

 The layers were then found to succeed each other in the 

 following order : — 



Neve, 



Vein of mirror ice, 



Neve ice, 



Vescicular ice. 

 The vescicular ice, resting on a turfy soil, was covered on 

 its lower part with long grooves and striae, which corre- 

 sponded to dry stalks of grass which it had compressed and 

 carried along with it, thus receiving the impression of them. 

 Many of these stalks still adhered to the ice. At some places 

 this vescicular ice had passed into the compact state. 



These masses of neve were all — at different degrees of 

 depth — at a temperature of 0° cent. 



The surrounding air, in the shade at mid-day, under a 

 cloudless sky, was that day about -f- 15-5 degrees. 



The temperature of the ground, at the depth of 10 centi- 

 metres, even under the masses of neve, was some degrees 

 above zero. However, the ground itself, the turf was not 

 wet with the ice, but only slightly humid, almost dry. By 

 the 24th of May all these masses had disappeared. 



In all the masses of neve in motion which I examined 

 among the Vosges in 1845 and 1846, I never observed that 

 the slope of the ground was of much importance in the phe- 

 nomenon ; but, as I made no direct experiments on this sub- 

 ject, it is only by way of approximation that I judge of the 

 fact. I may remark, however, that in the forests situate 

 between the Valley of Urbes and that of Schliffels, where the 

 declivities are small, the movement of the small glaciers has 

 committed great ravages last year ; it has broken and bruised 

 a great number of trees ; the movement was as decided there 

 as on the slopes of 45 degrees on the eastern side of IJohe- 

 neck. I often visited our summits in the midst of winter, 



