340 Prof. John Milne — A Cruise among the Kurile Islands. 



ruined rim of an old crater, formed the top ridge of the mountain. 

 This ridge is on the W.S.W. side. As we continued on our course, 

 the N.E. end of this ridge rose in a point, and was seen to be the 

 highest portion of the island. Subsequently, when I again saw 

 this mountain, I had an uninterrupted view from its summit to the 

 base. On the S.W. side the slope near the top was 25°. Lower 

 down this gradually decreased to 12°. From the E.S.E. this side of 

 the mountain was seen to have a slope of 30°, and an almost perfectly 

 symmetrical appearance. The measurement of 25° had been taken 

 along the edge of some degraded ridge which at the time of obser- 

 vation formed a profile of the mountain. On the N.E. side the slope 

 at the top was almost 23°, and lower down 23°, and near the base 

 13°. From all points of view the mountain exhibited a distinct and 

 beautiful curve. Looking at the surface, this was exhibited as a 

 sweeping hollow. And if we except a few deep furrows which had 

 been cut by rain and weather, its contour was perfectly regular. 



Bound the base of the mountain there was a growth of scrub. 



In many places the shore-line was seen to be bounded by low 

 cliffs. At the S.W. end these terminate in a small abrupt peak. 

 These cliffs have in places a stratified appearance, a few thin earthy 

 beds being intercalated with beds of ashes. From the way in which 

 any one of these beds is seen to be continued along the shore-line, 

 and also upwards along the scarp of the furrows, it would seem that 

 the structure of the outer portions of this mountain must be that of a 

 series of skins, or superimpose more or less conically formed envelopes. 

 Although I looked carefully over the S.E., S., and S.W. slopes of this 

 mountain, nowhere did I see anything which looked like or indicated 

 the presence of a stream of lava. 



From the structure exhibited by this mountain, the apparent 

 absence of lava streams, and its beautiful form, the slopes of which, 

 so far as the eye could judge, were of logarithmic curvature, this 

 mountain, like many others in the Kuriles, of which I have yet to 

 speak, was in all probability built up by a more or less continuous 

 action, and consequently exhibited that elegant form which is natural 

 to any heap of loose materials. Since the last eruption materials 

 have been washed down from higher to lower levels, the top being 

 made a little steeper, and the base more horizontal. [Alterations 

 near the summit, tending to increase the steepness, have probably 

 taken place more rapidly than at lower levels, from the fact that 

 degrading agencies like rain would, for many reasons, be more active 

 at high levels than at low ones. It is also possible that horizontality, 

 and even a quaquaversal internal dip, may have been provoked, as Mr. 

 Mallet has suggested, by the weight of the cone pressing down at 

 the centre and raising up the rim]. During these processes furrows 

 were cut which hold perennial snows, and plants which fringe the 

 base grew up from drifted seed. 



Paramushir Island. — This island may be classed among some of 

 the largest islands in the group. It is about 60 miles in length, as 

 measured from N.E. to S.W. ; its breadth is about 14 miles. From 

 what I saw of it on the N.E., N., and N.W. shores, it appears to be 



