GLACIATION OF THE NORTH POLAR REGION. 289 



centre from which glaciers descend in numbers. The surrounding heights. 

 however, are bare of snow during the summer. The Folgefon neve itself lies 

 quite like an isolated mass of snow, and there would, at first sight, seem to be 

 no sufficient reason why the adjacent high land should not be in a similar 

 condition. It appears, however, on closer e.xamination, that the Folgefon 

 plateau is topographically more favorably conditioned for the collection of 

 a continuous mass of snow ; and, moreovei", it has a little the advantage 

 of the adjacent high land, in that it is better situated to receive the moist- 

 ure of the prevailing wind, being nearer to the ocean. And 3'et, to one 

 who had not already had occasion to study the meteorological conditions 

 under which glaciers form and exist in various parts of the world, it could 

 not but seem strange that so large a mass of neve as that of Folgefon should 

 maintain itself, in the midst of elevations bare of snow, the situation of which 

 so closely resembles that of the snow-covered region itself. 



In the preceding pages all has been said of the present glacial condi-tions 

 of the great continental mass of Europe and Asia for wliicli space can be 

 found in the present work. The groups of islands north of and not for from 

 the coasts of the region to which our attention has last been turned 

 naturally come next in order for consideration. Since, however, these islands 

 all lie within the Arctic Circle, they properly belong to the North Polar 

 Region, in regard to the general geography of which a few words will be 

 said before proceeding to the details of its glaciation. Iceland, the northern 

 edge of which just touches the Polar Circle, is in the same longitude as part 

 of the eastern coast of Greenland. Its present glaciation maj' therefore be 

 noticed before taking up that country and the adjacent regions of North 

 America. 



That we should have as clear an idea as is possible of the climatic and 

 glacial conditions of both land and water in the higher latitudes is extremely 

 desirable, because the Polar regions are constantly being appealed to as 

 furnishing an illustration of much of that which went on in lower latitudes 

 during the Glacial epoch. Those who find it difficult to understand the 

 nature of the conditions which brought about the glaciation of certain 

 districts in lower latitudes, at a former period, have their attention directed 

 to the Polar regions, as furnishing at the present time an exact parallel to 

 the phenomena which perplex the student of prehistoric glaciation. It is 

 asserted, for instance, with the utmost confidence, that we have only to 

 imagine the climatic conditions of the Polar regions to be repeated in New 



