MECHANICAL ACTION OF GLACIERS. 145 
began to move to and froas the rising breeze swept round 
the walls, until it swung like the pendulum of a clock over 
a space of 250 feet; then came a strong gust of wind, and 
the whole mass spread into a transparent sheet of spray 
from top to bottom ; as it became still it contracted once 
more into a white column, For along time I stood watch- 
ing the fascinating spectacle, and could hardly tear myself 
away. It resembles in this changing column of spray the 
Staubbach fall in the valley of Lauterbrunnen in Switzer- 
land, and still more, according to descriptions and photo- 
graphs, the upper portion of the Yosemite fall in the 
famous valley of California. This latter plunges vertically 
about a thousand feet over a granite precipice, varying 
much in appearance according to the volume of water in 
different seasons, and its column of spray, in the same 
manner, is the delicate plaything of the winds. But the 
Vetti-Foss has more water. These bridal-veil water-falls 
are counted by hundreds in Norway. 
‘Tf the tourist ascend the grand fiord of the Aurland, 
on the southern shore of the Sogne, some ten miles west 
from Laerdalsoeren, and cross the mountain ridge separat- 
ing this basin from that of the Hardanger fiord, the lovely 
basin further to the south already spoken of, he will pass 
by the way the Tvinde-Foss, which pours over a sparsely 
wooded ledge, three or four hundred feet in height, and its 
cascades, if not grand, are among the loveliest in Norway.’ 
But we have not yet done with the Sogne fiord. ‘One 
of the striking characteristics of the Sogne fiord is the 
varying depth of the water. South of Yttre Sulen, the 
island lying in the mouth of the fiord, the depth of the sea 
is stated by Du Chaillu to be about 600 feet; farther 
inland, between Big Store Hilleoe and Stevsundoe, it is 
1,584 feet ; a little farther up it diminishes to 1,200 and 
900 feet, and immediately south of Poe church it attains 
the enormous.depth of 3,980 feet [more than three-fourths 
of an English mile]; north of Arnfjord church 3,222 feet ; 
at the entrance of the Aurland, 3,766 feet; and just south 
L 
