Appendix IV. 

 SUGGESTIONS TO FUTURE OBSEEVERS. 



By 



H. F. REID. 



The accessibility and growing fame of Muir glacier make it certain that 

 parties will frequently spend two weeks or a month there in future sum- 

 mers. They will have the o])iiortnnity of making observations of con- 

 siderable interest. 



The most impoi'tant is the rate of recession of the ice-front. iMuch the 

 easiest way of doing this is by taking photographs and comparing them 

 with others taken earlier from the same points. These photogra])hs 

 should show the mountains behind. The following would be useful : A 

 photograi:)h of the northwestern corner of the ice-front taken from the 

 beach close to camp Muir, the northeastern corner taken from the top of 

 the bluff on the western side of the inlet, just south of the mouth of the 

 glacial stream ; the whole front taken from E, the fr-ont taken from I'. 

 This latter would show better than the others what change has taken 

 place and can be compared directly with plate 18. V can be found with- 

 out much trouble. It is the highest point in its neighborhood (3,000 feet), 

 and lies N. 65° W., magnetic, from the peak of mount Wright. It is most 

 easily reached by the stream between it and E (see map, plate 14). 



Compass bearings also will serve to determine the position of the ice- 

 front. They should be taken on the corners and on any well-defined 

 points of the ice-front. These bearings had better be taken from 31 and L. 

 M can easily be found. It is on the projecting point of the bluff on the 

 east side of the inlet near the edge. L is just opposite and bears N. 70° 

 W. astronomical or S. 80° W. magnetic. The distance between them is 8,019 

 yards. From such observation the position of the ice-front can be imme- 

 diately platted on the map and the recession measureil. Neither of these 

 methods will yield verj' accurate results. 



The map which I have made, though accurate so far as it goes, is far 

 from complete. The upper parts of all the tributaries and much of the 

 region between them is left blank. Any one with the proper training 

 would find it very interesting to map these portions. Starting from the 

 points -E and D, his map could readily be fitted to mine (see page 54). 

 For such woi'k I strongly urge the use of a planetable. 



12— N.\T. Geog. M.\g., vol. IV, 1892. (S3) 



