896 THE JOURNAL OF GEOLOGY. 
were not heard. These reports resembled thunder much more 
closely than any other familiar sound, and, awakened by them 
in the night, the resident of lower latitudes could hardly fail to 
think, at the first moment, that it was a sharp clap of thunder 
that had roused him, and that a violent thunderstorm was raging. 
Bergs occurred in considerable numbers in Wolstensholme 
Sound, in the upper part of Whale Sound, in Murchison Sound, 
and in Inglefield Gulf and its dependencies. North of Murchison 
Sound and between that point and Cape Sabine, latitude 78° 45’, 
bergs were nowhere abundant. There was probably no time 
during our passage through these waters when as many as two 
or three were not in sight, nor were there often times when more 
than a dozen could. be seen. They were of even less frequent 
occurrence between Cape York and Coburg Island. In Jones 
Sound they were present in moderate numbers, while along the 
American coast south of that point to latitude 71° 30’ they 
were rare. There were frequently considerable intervals where 
not one was in sight, while at other points considerable clusters 
of them came into view. 
Between Disco and the Labrador coast, on the return voyage, 
bergs were never abundant as compared with those in many 
other stituations, but they were almost never wanting. An 
approximate idea of their abundance in these waters may be 
obtained by the general statement that there was rarely a time 
when less than half a dozen or more than forty could be seen. 
Their numbers diminished with increasing distance to the south, 
and they practically disappeared before the coast of Newfound- 
land was reached. On the whole, the impression gained was 
that a very large amount of ice is discharged from the land in 
the form of bergs. 
The highest berg seen was probably not more than 200 feet 
in height. The greatest areal extent of any berg seen was prob- 
ably not more than one-third of a square mile, the maximum 
length being, perhaps, about a mile. These figures, it is to be 
understood, are the results of estimate, not measurement. 
The almost uniform freedom of the bergs from débris is in 
