330 Transaction:^. 



south-west. The mountain called Tyndall by Haast, and pictured in his 

 report on the Rakaia, is not the same Mount Tyndall to which he gave the 

 name from the valley of the Rangitata, nor yet again from the Godley. It 

 is also probable that the Mount Tyndall of the excellent Westland survey is 

 none of the mountains to which Haast gave the name. This is somewhat 

 unfortunate, and appears to result from the mistake made originally by 

 Haast, who thought that he saw the same peak from each of these three 

 great valleys. Mr. Earle has recently pointed out that the mountain called 

 " Tyndall " by Haast M^hen he explored the Rakaia is probably a peak not 

 really marked on the maps, but one to which a new name should be assigned. 

 Dr. Teichelmann has still more recently confirmed this observation in a 

 letter to the author, and says that this peak is called variously McCoy Peak 

 and Mount Nicholson, and that it is not on the main divide, but lies to the 

 east of it. 



The Lyell Glacier presents no features of special importance. Its surface 

 is fairly smooth and little crevassed, the roughest portion being that near 

 the confluence of the Cockayne Glacier and its disturbing influence. The 

 lower portion is covered with moraine, which comes principally from those 

 momitains not covered with ice and perpetual snow, but from those specially 

 subject to the action of frost. This weathering-agent attacks the exposed 

 surfaces of the rocks by means of their frequent joints and bedding-planes, 

 and produces in this region a particularly large amount of angular material, 

 which is poured on to the surface of the glaciers by numerous " shingle- 

 slips." Although the Lyell has a thick covering in many places, its moraine 

 is small as compared with that of its near neighbour, the Ramsay. 



(ii.) Ramsay Glacier. 

 (Plate IV, tig. 2.) 



This glacier takes its origin in the snowlield on the west side of Louper 

 Peak, between it and Mount Whitcombe. It stretches for six miles in a 

 S.S.W. direction betw^een Mounts Ramsay and Kinkel on the west and the 

 Butler Range on the east, and maintains a direction parallel to that of the 

 valleys on the north of the Rakaia. It receives from the west two important 

 tributaries — (i) the Clarke Glacier, which rises between Mount Westland 

 and Mount Whitcombe, and rmis in a north-westerly direction to a low 

 saddle leading to the Upper Wanganui River on the western side of the 

 range ; and (ii) the St. James Glacier, which rises between Mounts Kinkel 

 and Ramsay. Although the upper portions are comparatively free from 

 debris, the lower three miles is more covered with moraine than any glacier 

 with which I am acquainted. Even the Mueller and Tasman fail to come 

 up to the Ramsay in respect to the size of the blocks and the completeness 

 of the covering. Not only is there an abnormal amount of small material, 

 but angular masses of the size of cottages occur piled together in disorderly 

 heaps. Most of this comes from the precipitous faces of Mounts Ramsay 

 and Whitcombe, which are so steep that little snow can cling to their bare 

 crags, and are therefore rapidly broken up by the action of frost. The 

 amount of material which comes from the Butler Range on the east is of 

 comparatively little importance. 



On the east side or the terminal face the Ramsay branch of the Rakaia 

 rises from an ice-cave, but water certainly soaks through from all the face 

 between Mein's Knob and Jim's Knob. The glacier is here just over half 

 a mile wid(^ 



