170 SURVEY OF THE SNOWDON REGION CHAP, v 



The fascination of glacial geology was now at 

 length beginning to influence Ramsay's geological 

 bent and to tinge all his views of Welsh scenery. 

 He had practically finished the survey of the solid 

 rocks. Their problems, though by no means all 

 solved, had at least been so far settled as to allow 

 of the preparation of maps and sections for the en- 

 graver. The compilation of the descriptive memoir 

 of the region would be a laborious task, involving 

 years of interrupted application, and many renewed 

 visits to the ground. But the glaciation of these 

 Welsh mountains had all the charm of novelty. 

 Buckland, Darwin, and others had described some 

 of the proofs of former glaciers, but no one had yet 

 attempted to trace the story of the successive changes 

 of geography and of climate recorded in the various 

 glacial deposits. We now find in Ramsay's note-books 

 and diaries frequent reference to the subject. While 

 stationed at Bethesda he made numerous observations 

 and compiled many notes relating to the ice-markings 

 on the rocks, the distribution of the drift, the grouping 

 of perched blocks, and the position and heights of 

 moraines. He was in this way gradually accumulating 

 materials for his first essay on the glacial phenomena 

 of this country which he communicated a year later 

 to the Geological Society. 



There still remained a portion of Anglesey to be 

 surveyed before the maps of North Wales could be 

 regarded as complete and ready to be prepared for the 

 engraver. De la Beche had himself traced the lines 

 across some parts of that county, and other portions 

 had been mapped by W. W. Smyth. Ramsay and 

 Selwyn early in November crossed into Anglesey 

 with the object of filling in the unfinished portions 



