ICP:-F00T 177 



In this case the whole of the sea ice has been dissolved or eroded away right 

 up to the rocky base of the cape, and all that is left of the ice-foot cliff is a mass 

 of old snow-drift, which, undercut by the waves, and fringed with abundant icicles 

 above, as the result of prolonged thawing of the snow-drift, has been deeply 

 and u-regularly carved, leaving an appearance of statuesque figures like those seen 

 on Plate XL VII. Fig. 4. 



Plate XLVIII. Fig. 1 shows a slight modification of the previous structure. It 

 is a view of Frontdoor Bay near Flagstaft' Point, Cape Royds, taken in February 

 1908, and shows the overhanging ice-foot, with its surface here further consolidated 

 and added to by incrustations of frozen spray. The particular part of the ice-foot 

 shown has been consolidated and added to by accretions of ice derived from the 

 freezing of sea spray. This headland faces the prevalent blizzard winds, which blow 

 fi'om the du-ection of the left of the picture, and den.se sheets of spray are frequently 

 flung over the ice-foot and across the headland. The portions of it, which escape 

 freezing on the surface, freeze lower down, as dripping takes place, as icicles, and 

 so produce the willow-tree pattern so characteristic of this part of the ice-clift\ 

 From February 15th to 18th, 1908, a fierce blizzard raged, which flung vast 

 volumes of sea spray over the cases of provisions, cloth, and other Antarctic equip- 

 ment shown in the photograph. In places there was actually as much as 7 feet of 

 tough fibrous ice piled up over our gear. 



A difterent type of ice-foot is shown on Plate XLIX. Fig. 1. This view is taken at 

 Blacksand Beach, about 1 mile north of our winter quarters at Cape Royds. What was 

 originally a shelving beach, formed of kenyte sand, has there been converted into an 

 Ice-foot, first, by the freezing of the sea ice, and subsequent drifting of snow by the 

 blizzard wind from inland, in the form of wedge-shaped drifts, across the edge of the 

 sea ice. Storms occurring later broke out the sea ice almost up to the edge of the 

 gravel bank, carrying away much of the snow-drift on the loose floes. At the time 

 when this low cliff' was left heavy breakers flung the spray far and wide over this 

 part of the shore, and built up dome-shaped masses closely resembling stalagmites, 

 but formed, of course, of a mixture of old snow-drift and ice derived from Infiltrated 

 sea water. Immediately to the right of the two bergs in the photograph may be 

 seen a pressure ridge of blocks of sea ice. This is formed by the pressure of a recent 

 northerly wind on broken-out masses of glacier ice originally met with farther 

 north. 



Plate XLIX. Fig. 2 shows a still later development of the ice-foot. This photo- 

 graph was taken about March 15, 1908. It shows the overhanging ice-foot, there 

 about 15 to 20 feet in height, with its base undercut by the action of the waves, and 

 with icicles hanging from the roof In the foreground are some slabs of old sea ice 

 with portions cemented together by newer ice, the whole covered by a fine crop 

 of ice flowers. In the background, at the top of the picture, are low cliffs about 50 to 

 80 feet high of black kenyte lava. Another appearance of the ice-foot taken still 



