Geological Survey of Canterbury. 13 



described, had been rent asunder, so that the river flowed through an 

 immense fissure. The McCoy is five miles long, and besides several 

 streams coming from glaciers of the second order, it is formed by the 

 junction of three glacier streams, of which the central and largest 

 issues from a glacier of considerable size, covered entirely with 

 moraines, and passes between two huge promontories. The two others, 

 descending from north-east and north-west, are without any moraines, 

 they both descend from a large neve lying at the eastern and western 

 base of the central pyramidical peaks, from the southern recesses of 

 which the main glacier descends. Their extremities lie again 400 to 

 500 feet higher than the former, owing to the circumstance that they 

 are not sheltered by a thick deposit of debris like the central one. 

 Also here, where the neve ends, the ice is very much broken and 

 crevassed, having most splendid bluish tints. It would be easy to 

 ascend the north-western neve, which seems to have an easy gradient, 

 and would lead over a col into the Lyell glacier at the head of the 

 western branch of the Eakaia. At one spot the snow exhibited the 

 deep red colour, owing to the presence of Protococcus nivalis. 



Another day was devoted to following the main stream to its sources 

 It would be possible to ride to this glacier on horseback, of course 

 only in autumn, and after a period of dry weather, although the 

 boulders are often of enormous size, but by crossing and re-crossing 

 it could be accomplished by an able horseman. I preferred leaving 

 the poor horses behind, as they could find so little suitable food, to 

 save them another day's heavy journey. Climbing along the pre- 

 cipitous sides of the mountains, and wading through smaller branches, 

 we arrived after three miles of laborious walking:, at the main glacier, 

 filling up the whole valley, and presenting a very fine sight. The 

 extremity of this glacier, the largest which I visited in this journey, 

 presents a straight wall of an altitude of 150 feet, showing the usual 

 bedding ; the ice is very dirty, and many large boulders are imbedded 

 in the body of the glacier itself. In the centre is a wide ice 

 vault from which the stream rushes over huge boulders. The glacier 

 is covered deeply with a moraine, consisting of blocks, often of a 

 gigantic size, which fall when they reach its termination with a 

 tremendous crash from the edge. During my stay, a block of at 

 least 10 tons, just above the ice cavern, fell down into the water, 

 dashing it high in all directions. In the perpendicular face of the 

 glacier was a round hole 30 feet below its moraine roof, through 

 which a little streamlet fell like water from the gutter of a house. 



