THE VARIATIONS OF GLACIERS. XII^ 



HARRY FIELDING REID 

 Johns Hopkins University 



The following is a brief summary of the report of the retiring 

 president of the International Committee on Glaciers, which was 

 presented to the International Congress of Geologists in Mexico 

 in 1906.^ The committee collects material regarding the variations 

 of glaciers in all parts of the world; this material is collected in 

 different ways in different countries. In Switzerland the Federal 

 Foresters report on the changes in about 90 glaciers, and special work 

 is being done in the study of the Rhone glacier under the auspices 

 of the Helvetic Society of Natural Sciences. The German-Austrian 

 Alpine Club encourages the observations of glaciers in the eastern 

 Alps, the ItaHan Alpine Club and the Itahan Geographical Society 

 help in Italy, and there is a special committee in France which has 

 lately received some help from the government in the observations of 

 glacial variations. The Imperial Russian Geographical Society has 

 done much in collecting and pubHshing the material regarding the 

 little-known glaciers in the Russian Empire. The Norwegian Tourist 

 Club in Norway, and the Swedish Tourist Club in Sweden have 

 provided for the systematic study of glaciers in those countries, and 

 lately the Swedish Geological Survey and the Reischtag have furnished 

 pecuniary help. The glaciers of Greenland have been studied by 

 exploratory expeditions sent out by the Danish government. Recent 

 information regarding the glaciers of Iceland comes from the explora- 

 tions of Dr. Thoroddsen; a topographic map now being made shows 

 the positions of many glaciers. In Canada, also, the topographic 

 maps are the most important contributions to glacial work being done 

 by the government, but special studies of Canadian glaciers have been 

 made independently by individuals. The same is true of the glaciers 

 of New Zealand. In India the Geological Survey has undertaken to 



1 The earlier reports appeared in the Journal of Geology, Vols. III-XIII. 



2 The complete report will appear in the Comptes rendus of the Congress. 



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