HEARD ISLAXD. 221 



composed of cliffs and headlands of ice. None of the glaciers 

 came actually down into the sea. The bases of their cliffs 

 rested on the sandy beach and were only just washed by the 

 waves at high water or during gales of wind. 



The lateral moraines were of the usual form, with sharp 

 ridged crests and natural slopes on either side. They formed 

 lines of separation between the contiguous glaciers. They were 

 somewhat serpentine in course, and two of them were seen 

 to occur immediately above points where the glaciers on either 

 hand were separated by masses of rock in situ, which masses 

 showed out between the ice-cliffs on the shore and had the 

 ends of the moraines resting on them. 



A stretch of perfectly level black sand about half a mile in 

 width forms the head of the bay and intervenes between the 

 glaciers and a promontory of rocky rising land stretching out 

 northwards and westwards, and forming the other side of the bay. 

 It was on the smooth sandy beach bounding this plain that we 

 landed. The surf was not heavy, but we had to drag the boat 

 up at once. 



In this we were helped by six wild-looking sealers, who had 

 made their appearance on the rocks as soon as the ship entered 

 the bay, with their rifles in their hands, and had gazed on 

 us with astonishment. The boss said, as we landed, he " guessed 

 we were out of our reckoning." They evidently thought no one 

 could have come to Heard Island on purpose who was not 

 in the sealing business. 



The sandy plain stretches back from the bay as a dreary 

 waste to another small curved beach at the head of another 

 inlet of the sea. Behind this inlet is an irregular rocky moun- 

 tain mass forming the end of the island, on which are two large 

 glaciers very steeply inclined, and one of them terminating in a 

 sheer ice-fall. At its back this mountain mass is bounded 

 by precipices with their bases washed by the sea. 



The plain is traversed by several streams of glacier water 

 coming from the southern glaciers. These streams are con- 

 stantly changing their course, as the beach and plain are washed 

 about by the surf in heavy weather. At the time of our visit 

 the main stream stretched across the entire width of the plain 



