On the Glaciers of the Himalaya. 119 



was marked by curved hills. This is evidently precisely the 

 form that would be assumed by snow falling down the ravine 

 into the river. The slope of the river bed being great, the 

 avalanche would naturally continue its course down it, after 

 having filled the channel immediately in front of the ravine. 

 The fall of an avalanche in the upper part of this valley, 

 gave me an opportunity of seeing the motion of loose snow 

 in large masses ; it was very similar to that of a fluid body, 

 the snow appeared rather to flow than to fall. So here, the 

 snow descending through the ravine, gradually filled the river 

 channel, the main supply moving with the greatest velocity 

 down the middle, but sending off", all along it as it went on, 

 particles to the sides. Its head would therefore advance in a 

 convex curve, as the central particles moving directly for- 

 ward would always keep in advance of those that spread out 

 to the sides. The end of the snow-bed takes the curved form, 

 and a succession of smaller avalanches would mark its sur- 

 face with numerous curves of the same sort. 



In the last two miles of the approach to the Kuphinee 

 glacier we crossed two snow-beds, both of which were up- 

 wards of a quarter of a mile wide, and extended from the ra- 

 vines in which they originated, right across the valley from 

 side to side, entirely covering up the river. 



The surface of many of the snow-beds has a sort of rippled 

 appearance, caused by the protection given by grass and 

 leaves blown upon the snow to the parts immediately under 

 them. The snow itself is generally firm, and receives but a 

 slight impression from the foot of a man walking over it. 



I have estimated the heights of these glaciers fi'om obser- 

 vation of the boiling-point of water as follows ; the results 

 will certainly be within 500 feet of the truth. 



Feet above 

 the Sea. 

 Lowest point of the glucier of the Piadur and source of the 



river, ...... 11,300 



Surface of the glacier at the commencement of smooth ice, 12,000 



Lowest point of the glacier of the Kuphinee and source of the 



river, ...... 12,000 



Surface of the glacier at the commencement of smooth ice, 13,500 



Diwalee, union of the Pindur and Kuphinee, . . 8,200 



