THE NEW ZEALAND SOUND BASINS 45 



of deep groovings are exactly what we should expect to find on the 

 hypothesis of a former glacial flood and present ice-drought. For 

 the old channel was adjusted to its ice-flood load ; the ice-recession 

 was gradual, and work now, instead of being directed toward deep- 

 ening flood basins, was confined to weaker dragging of loads and 

 minor cutting. In these processes the deep flutings, etc., must to 

 a great extent disappear. 



(P. 20) With regard to flexibility of glaciers: Water cannot 

 hold its load stiffly up to its work; yet the observations of the author 

 along New England (New South Wales) stream tracks prove that 

 water can hold bowlders up so effectively that marvelous demolition 

 of spurs and channel bottoms is soon brought about. 



With regard to many roche moutonnee forms, we should look 

 upon them as tending to produce stagnation in a viscous mass away 

 from the main drainage lines. We should also, as with water, expect 

 to see far more work done on the downfall side of a rock mass than 

 on its inclined side. 



(P. 21 [4]) The analogy need not be carried beyond granting 

 apparent viscosity and flow for glaciers. It does not here concern 

 us what causes the motion. What we feel sure of is : Increased vol- 

 ume gives added velocity, and with flowing masses this gives wonder- 

 fully increased efficiency of transportation and corrasion. 



Page 21 (5) does not carry weight, in the face of the fact that the 

 present Muir glacier is indisputably a drought-glacier stagnating 

 in its old hroad and more than base leveled valley. 



(Pp. 22, 23 [7 and 8]) These objections are answered later. 



(P. 26) Fairchild claims that rapid corrasion by ice is a self- 

 checking process. If one watches a stream, he will see all the stages 

 of bank-cutting, aggrading, and load-shifting in progress at the same 

 time. Streams, either of ice or of water (or any viscous matter 

 whatever), must adjust themselves to their burdens. If a flood is 

 on, the stream will cut vigorously in one place and aggrade in another. 

 With diminution in volume, transportation sets in until the excess 

 of load is removed. Yet all the time the material is surely being 

 carried to the grand baselevel. This is the way the glacial saw clears 

 itself for cutting. 



(P. 27) In areas removed from the centers of drainage lines ice 



