1876 SNOW-DUST. 221 



to a depth of two feet, and which had resisted the 

 September and October winds, has since disappeared, 

 leaving the ground quite bare, and exposing to view 

 an ample supply of stones for cairn-building, The 

 snow blown from the uplands has accnmnlated on the 

 lower grounds and on the ice. It can now, however, 

 scarcely be called snow, for it has lost all resemblance 

 to its original feathery composition. Bounded off and 

 reduced in size by attrition while being drifted along 

 by the wind, it would be more appropriate to desig- 

 nate it snow-dust. 



6 All hands are employed in digging out the 

 entrances to " Greenwich " and " Kew." Fortunately 

 the snow-houses were solidly built with blocks of snow 

 two feet thick, for now they are completely buried in 

 the snow slope which covers the land at the foot of the 

 hills. The passage ways between the magnetic houses 

 were roofed with flat slabs of extremely hard snow ; 

 these are now all bending down with their own weight 

 and that of the superincumbent snow, but fortunately 

 when accumulating, the latter solidified sufficiently to 

 form its own support, and we can now remove the 

 original flat roof without danger. 



4 Since the early part of December we have ceased 

 to be troubled by soft snow ; our walks . are therefore 

 only curtailed on account of want of light and the fear 

 of being caught at a distance from home with a sudden 

 fall in temperature or a blinding snow-drift. 



' The actual footing is hard enough, but that does 

 not necessarily mean that the snow affords a level road 

 for walking on. Not only are there the sastrugi or 

 waves of snow-drift lying in the direction in which the 



