THie LABRADOR FISHING-BANKS. 32I 



Streaks, from the glaciers which gave them birth in the 

 far north and northeast. It is more than probable that 

 this distribution of icebergs has a very important bearing 

 upon the food and feeding of the cod, which justifies me 

 in referring here with so much detail to the action of 

 glacial ice. 



" The Inner Range of Banks. — The foundation of the" 

 inner range of banks consists, very probably, as already 

 stated, of glacial moraines. In their present state they" 

 may reasonably be assumed to be formed in great part 

 of remodelled debris brought down by the same glaciers 

 which excavated the deep fiords, 



"The absence of deposits of sand in the form of mod- 

 ern beaches on every part of the Labrador coast visited 

 this season, except one, was very marke.d. The excep- 

 tional area observed lies between Sandwich Bay and 

 Hamilton Inlet, Cape Porcupine being the centre. It 

 is protected from the northern swell of the ocean by the 

 Indian Harbor Islands and promontory. Here large 

 deposits of sand are seen, covering many square miles in 

 area. The reason why sandy beaches are not in general 

 found on this coast, notwithstanding that enormous 

 quantities of rock are annually ground up by coast-ice 

 and ice-pans driven on the shore, arises from the under- 

 tow cariying the sand seawards and depositing it on the 

 shoals or banks outside of the islands. 



" It may be advisable here to advert to a popular error 

 which assumes that the depth of water in which an ice- 

 berg grounds is indicated by the height of the berg 

 above the level of the sea. It is commonly stated that 

 while there is one ninth above there will be eight ninths 

 of the berg below the sea-level. This is approximately 



