266 BOTANICAL EXCURSIONS MADE BY 
gathered the best plants, and were detained there a long time. 
Some of the party in place of botanising proceeded at once to 
the Ober-Aar Glacier. This glacier wants the extensive 
moraines of the Unter-Aar Glacier. It is distinctly icy throughout. 
We crossed the river on a rustic bridge near a chalet, the 
inhabitant of which, a shepherd boy, joined us in our exploration 
of the hill. Proceeding on the opposite bank of the stream we 
gathered many good plants, and then reached the side of the 
Unter-Aar Glacier. Here we had a good opportunity of 
seeing an extensive glacier with an enormous moraine country 
of masses of rock of all sizes covering the ice so thoroughly as 
to make one believe that there was nothing below but a 
mass of stones. The rocks were very sharp and angular. On 
walking on the glacier we found remarkable inequalities. In 
some places there were deep hollows which concealed some of 
the party from the rest and led to an unexpected separation. 
In these hollows we could see the icy nature of the glacier, and 
here and there were deep holes full of water with clear streams 
flowing. In other parts there were large hummocks covered 
with debris. In some instances we saw stones of small size 
which had formed cavities by the melting of the ice around them 
under the sun’s influence. Leaves carried up by birds occasion- 
ally produce similar results. Sometimes when the debris is 
accumulated in these cavities a reverse process takes place and 
then the debris becomes raised up, forming a mound or hummock 
supported on ice. We were enabled to see the course of the 
glacier and to observe some of the phenomena which had led 
to Professor Forbes’ valuable observations regarding the nature 
of glaciers and their movements. We returned to the Hospice 
about 7 p.m. tolerably fatigued. 
Some of the plants seen near Grimsel were -— 
Astrantia minor 
Erigeron acris | 
canadensis 
Carlina acaulis Rumex alpinus (abundant 
Carduus defloratus round Grimsel Hospice) 
Phyteuma orbiculare Veratrum album 
ss icatum Asplenium septentrionale 
Asclepias Vincetoxicum 
Erythreea Centaurium 
Gentiana pannonica 
punctata 
