THREATS OF A BLIZZARD 229 



walked up the Ramp with Wilson to have a quiet talk before 

 he departs. I wanted to get his ideas as to the scientific work 

 done. 



We agreed as to the exceptionally happy organisation of our 

 party. 



I took the opportunity to warn Wilson concerning the de- 

 sirability of complete understanding with Ponting and Taylor 

 with respect to their photographs and records on their return 

 to civilisation. 



The weather has been very mysterious of late; on the 23rd 

 and 24th it continuously threatened a blizzard, but now the sky 

 is clearing again with all signs of fine weather. 



Monday, June 26. — With a clear sky it was quite twilighty 

 at noon to-day. Already such signs of day are inspiriting. In 

 the afternoon the wind arose with drift and again the prophets 

 predicted a blizzard. After an hour or two the wind fell and 

 we had a calm, clear evening and night. The blizzards proper 

 seem to be always preceded by an overcast sky in accordance 

 with Simpson's theory. 



Taylor gave a most interesting lecture on the physiographic 

 features of the region traversed by his party in the autumn. 

 His mind is very luminous and clear and he treated the subject 

 with a breadth of view which was delightful. The illustrative 

 slides were made from Debenham's photographs, and many of 

 them were quite beautiful. Ponting tells me that Debenham 

 knows quite a lot about photography and goes to work in quite 

 the right way. 



The lecture being a precis of Taylor's report there is no 

 need to recapitulate its matter. With the pictures it was startling 

 to realise the very different extent to which tributary glaciers have 

 carved the channels in which they lie. The Canadian Glacier 

 lies dead, but at ' grade ' it has cut a very deep channel. The 

 ' double curtain' hangs at an angle of 25°, with practically no 

 channel. Mention was made of the difference of water found 

 in Lake Bonney by me in December 1903 and the Western 

 Party in February 191 1. It seems certain that water must go 

 on accumulating in the lake during the two or three summer 

 months, and it is hard to imagine that all can be lost again 

 by the winter's evaporation. If it does, ' evaporation ' becomes 

 a matter of primary Importance. 



