GLACIERS. 



677 



the river Doire on the southeast. This mountainous area, though one 

 vast field of snow, gives origin to numerous glaciers on its different 

 sides, — each principal valley having its ice-stream. The series of 

 dotted curves show the courses of the several glaciers. B is Mt. 

 Blanc ; bs, the Glacier des Bois, or Bois Glacier (so named from a 

 village near the foot of the glacier) ; m, the Mer de Glace, an upper 

 portion- of this glacier. The river Arveiron issues from the extremity 

 of the glacier, and, after a short course, joins the Arve near the 

 village of Chamouni. The glaciers " du Geant" (g), " du Talefre" 

 (ta), and " de Lechaud " (I), are the three largest of the upper glaciers 

 which combine to form the Mer de Glace. The Glacier du Talefre 

 heads in two valleys ; and at J, on the ridge between, is the Jardin, a 

 spot with some verdure, often visited by travellers. The depth of the 

 Mer de Glace is about 350 feet. 



4. General Appearance. — Fig. 1105 is a reduced copy of a sketch 

 in Agassiz' great work, representing the Glacier of Zermatt, or the 

 Gorner Glacier, in the Mt. Rosa region. This grand glacier receives 



Fig. 1105. 



The GOrner Glacier. 



some of its tributaries from the right, but the larger part from beyond 

 the RifFelhorn, the near summit on the left. The dark bands on the 



