218 H. F. REID 



retreated until 1878 (thirty-three years); it then advanced until 

 1896 (eighteen years), when it had another maximum, which 

 makes its entire period fifty-one years. 



There remain still among the Swiss glaciers some marks of 

 the increase of the last quarter of the nineteenth century, but 

 the retreat of the glaciers is now, very generally, in full force. 1 



Eastern Alps. — The important results obtained during the 

 current year in the eastern Alps justify the labor undertaken 

 to obtain them. It has been shown that the partial advance 

 observed since 1885 extends towards the east beyond the Bren- 

 ner, even as far as the groups of the Venediger and the Glockner ; 

 and it is most probable that this is not the result of the great 

 precipitation during the past two years, but is due to some more 

 general cause; for it has been possible to predict it in the case 

 of the Gliederferner since 1892. This same glacier has also 

 given us some information in answer to the question — does the 

 swelling of a glacier move down the glacier more rapidly than 

 the rate of flow of the ice ? The reply is affirmative. From 

 1887 to 1892 the ice had moved a distance of 110 meters, 

 whereas the swelling had advanced 250 meters. When the 

 swelling reached the point at which the velocity was measured, 

 it produced a considerable increase in the velocity of the ice. 

 Similar results are also found with the Vernagtferner. 



Of these glaciers we have, definitely, twenty-six advancing, 

 eight stationary, and twenty-six retreating. The retreat seems 

 to be more general as we go further eastward. 2 



Italian Alps. — No results are given for these glaciers, but a 

 careful report is made of the means taken for marking their 

 positions, so that in the future the variations of a large number 

 may be determined. 



Scandi?iavian Alps. — So far as observations go, the glaciers 

 in this region are either stationary or retreating. 3 



1 F. A. Forel, XVII Rapport suf les variations periodiques des glaciers des 

 Alpes suisses. Jahrbuch des Schw. Alpenclubs, Vol. XXXIII, p. 249. Bern, 1898. 



2 Report of Professor Finsterwalder. 



^ Reports of Dr. Svenonius and Dr. Oyen. 



