Glaciation in the Australian Alps. S3 



the wind blows a greater amount of snow together, and 

 stores it for the summer." In reply to this, I can only say 

 that my experience during the past ten years over the 

 greater part of the Australian Alps confirms my previous 

 statement, that it is in the deep southern ravines at the 

 higher elevations that the snow is ■ most frequently found 

 during midsummer. A splendid example of this nature 

 occurred at Mount Hotham, and was observed by Lady Loch 

 during the Vice-Regal visit to that portion of the Australian 

 Alps on 15th January last. I would also remark that while 

 Dr. von Lendenfeld is to be congratulated on the results of 

 his scientific exploration of the Kosciusko plateaux, yet I 

 cannot help thinking that he has done but scant justice to 

 the writings of Professor Tate, of South Australia,* and Mr. 

 Griffiths, of Victoria, our fellow-member.-f- The doctor has 

 informed us that (page 2) the observations of Professor Tate 

 and Mr. Griffiths " are very vague." I must certainly join 

 issue with him on that point. It appears to me that their 

 observations are quite the reverse of this ; indeed, the 

 writings of both these gentlemen are very clear, and their 

 deductions from the evidences they present are very sound. 

 Again, we are reminded that " it is up to the mountains" 

 we are to look for glaciers, and " not down to the sea." No 

 doubt this is correct if the area of glaciation was as circum- 

 scribed as the doctor would have us believe,^ but from the 

 altitude at which the evidences occur near Omeo — viz., as 

 low as 1000 feet above sea-level — there is nothing remark- 

 able in the statement that "erratic boulders and striated 

 rock surfaces" should be found on the beach near Adelaide ; 

 for the refrigeration was not merely local, but general over 

 a very large area, and oscillations of the ocean level due to 

 cosmic causes may have played an important part in the 

 phenomena of glaciation. I quite agree with Dr. von 

 Lendenfeld that the date of the last glaciation was in com- 

 paratively recent times, probably later Pleistocene, and with 

 Mr. Griffiths that the " golden washes of the latest period 

 are in reality the products of glacial debris ground-sluiced 

 by the ice waters." The interest appertaining to the dis- 

 covery of a recent glacial epoch in Australia is, however, not 

 alone of relative scientific value, as indicating that those 



* Tate : Anniversary Address, Phil. Soc., S.A., 1878 and 1879. 



f Griffiths' Evidences of a Glacial Epoch in Victoria, Koy. Soc, Vict., 1884 



I The Glacial Period in Australia, p. 10. 



