254 Notes on the Glaciation of the Pacific Coast. [March 
coming down from the mountains of this island, but the shores 
and islands abound in well-preserved glacial striæ running W. by 
18° N., corresponding to the direction of the local valley down 
which the glacier came, and entering Behm’s Canal nearly at right 
angles to its course upon that side of the island. This is in lati- 
tude 55° 40’. 
Upon proceeding one degree to the north, I had opportunity 
also to observe closely the striæ at Fort Wrangell. Here, too, 
they show the influence of the continental elevation to the east, 
and are moving outward in a westerly direction towards the Duke 
of Clarence Strait. About thirty-five miles up the Stikine River, 
two glaciers are encountered of immense size coming down, one 
from the north and one from the south, to the vicinity of the vast 
cañon through which the river runs. The glacier from the north 
is about forty miles long and two miles wide near its mouth, 
spreading out to five miles a short distance back from the river, 
which it approaches to within four hundred yards. The glacier 
approaching the river at this point from the south is not so long 
and reaches only to within about two miles of the river. It is 
clear that a comparatively slight extension of these two glaciers 
would make them unite and close up the outlet of the river, and 
it requires no great stretch of the scientific imagination to see 
the whole valley occupied by a glacier, moving towards the ocean 
with an immense subglacial stream emerging at the ice front, 
wherever that might have been. From phenomena observed in 
Glacier Bay I am led to credit the tradition of the Indians that 
within historic times these glaciers met and the Stikine River 
made its way under them through an immense tunnel. 
From the mouth of the Stikine River northwards, glaciers in 
great numbers and of great size are seen coming down from the 
mountains towards the sea-level, while all the mountains upon 
the islands are snow-clad through the whole summer, and some 
of them contain glaciers of small size. At Holcomb Bay and 
Taku Inlet glaciers come down to the sea-level and send off 
` numerous small icebergs, which are frequently met with in 
Stevens’ Passage. At the head of Glacier Bay no less than four 
glaciers of great size come down to tide-level, sending off im- 
mense numbers of small fragments and bergs. The evidence 
here of the recent vast extension of these glaciers down the bay, 
and of the facility of glacier-ice in adjusting itself to the local — 
