680 PROCEEDINGS OF THE GEOLOGICAL sociery. [June 22, 
but one which a moment’s reflection would surely dissipate, that 
bergs found in the south must all have come from the north, and 
that those further north must have come from the regions still 
farther northward. The winds and the currents waft them hither 
and thither, until by the force of the waves they break into fragments 
and become undistinguishable from the oozy fragments of floes around 
them. Often, however, they will ground either in the fjord or outside 
of it, and in this position remain for months, and even years, only to 
be removed by pieces calving or breaking off from them, and thus 
lightening them, or forced off the bank where they have touched 
bottom by the force of the displaced wave caused by the breaking 
off of a fresh berg. Ice much exposed to the sea only breaks off in 
small ice-calves, out not in bergs. This calving will sometimes set 
the sea in motion as much as sixteen miles off. The colour of the 
berg is, of course, that of the glacier; but by the continuous beating 
of the waves on it the surface gets glistening. The colour of the 
mass is a dead white, like hard-pressed snow, which in reality 
it is, while scattered through it are lines of blue. These lines are 
also seen in the glacier on looking down into the crevasses, or at 
the glacier-face, and are in all probability caused by the annual 
melting and freezing of the surface-water of the glacier. Then 
another fall of snow comes in the winter; then the suns of summer 
melt the surface to some slight extent; this freezes, forming an ice 
different in colour from the compressed snow-ice of the glacier, and 
soon. I am aware, however, that this is a subject of controversy ; 
and this view of mine is only brought forward as a probable expla- 
nation, suggested to me as far back as 1861, when I first saw gla- 
ciers in the upper reaches of Baftin’s Bay and on the western shores 
of Davis Strait, and long before I was aware that this streaked or 
veined character of glacier-ice had been a subject of dispute. 
The greater portion of these bergs form long “streams” opposite 
their “ ice-fjords,” these streams being constantly reinforced by fresh 
additions from the land, poured out from the fjord. Hence certain 
localities in Greenland are distinguished by their “ice-streams,” - 
these localities being invariably opposite the mouths of ice-fjords, 
or fjords with great glaciers at their landward end pouring out ice- 
bergs. Few, if any, as I have already stated, are found on the east 
coast; but on the west (or Davis Strait and Baffin’s Bay side, from 
south to north, in the Danish possessions) the following localities, 
chiefly kuown by their native names, are situated :— 
1. Sermilik ice-fjord and ice-stream in about N. lat. 60 30 
2: Sermeliarsik: 21. ts. 0 Ps. 2s i 61 32 
oi Naétsalik eed), v2 pee ep nee 3 61 57 
A GOOtHaAD ss wee RR ee Re y 64 30 
9: Jakopshavn 95) 2s..22e oH. 8 # 69 12 
6: Tossukatek* (fire fee eae 5 69 48 
72 Greut Kariale, 2,2 9 so eae Fe 70 26 
6: Little Karle) {2.22 2. .e ate ” 70 36 
Os Sermelil— 7 teas. a ae 29 70 41 
