and this, accumulating in the valleys to the depth of some hundreds 

 of feet, forms what looks like a river of ice. This is a Glacier. 

 Though apparently quite )notionless, a glacier moves downAvards at 

 the rate of from a few inches to a few feet in a day, and it carries 

 with it, either on its surface or frozen in its substance, whatever 

 fragments of rock Irave fallen upon it or have been broken off in 

 its course. In this way a glacier conveys to considerable distances 

 enormous blocks of rock, and by means of the fragments attached 

 to its sides and bottom, it scours and polishes its bed, and finally 

 at its termination deposits its burden of stones and mud in wliat is 

 known as a " Moraine." 



From observations of the phenomena, such as are to be seen in 

 Switzerland to-day, where there are in the valleys large blocks of 

 stone or "boulders," which have been transported in many in- 

 stances from a distance of several niUes, and where the sides are 

 scored and scratched by the stones as they passed along. Dean 

 Buckland thought he detected, in his wanderings among the Welsh 

 mountains, the large perched blocks, the moraines, and other 

 evidences of former glacial action. His announcement was at first 

 received with derision, and it was not until Professor Ramsay 

 published his Ijook on " The (llaciers of Xortli AVales," that the 

 matter began to be looked upon as worthy of serious attention. 

 There is now, however, thanks to tlie researches of a large number of 

 competent geologists, alnmdant proof that ice action, such as is now 

 going on in Switzerland, was at one time to be found going on in 

 Wales. Then came farther discoveries, and there was soon forth- 

 coming evidence of wide-spread glaciation in Scotland and Wales, 

 and in England as far South as the Thames, In the neighbour- 

 hood of London, glaciation has left its mark at Fincliley, Epping, 

 and jNIuswell Hill. 



The condition of things Avhich preceded the glacial epoch was 

 shown by a map of Xorth-Western Europe as it probably appeared 

 when the " London Clay " Avas being deposited. The climate was 

 then subtropical. Palms grew in abundance. There were turtles 

 and serpents. The period was known as the " Eocene." 



Then followed the " Miocene " period, during which the rhin- 

 oceros, hippopotamus, elephant, antelope, and bear abounded. 



