Grove Karl Gilbert, the Man 



395 



of four miles. This he named after the geologist and explorer 

 I. C. Russell, but later, finding Russell's name preoccupied by 

 a glacier in the Copper River region, this one was rechristened 

 the Columbia. 



When steaming northward along the lofty ice-wall of La 

 Perouse Glacier, he noticed a number of tilted trees near the 

 north edge of the ice, and induced Mr. Harriman and one or 

 two others to accompany him ashore in a whale-boat, landing in 

 a stiff surf, by which they were properly soaked. CUmbing the 

 lateral moraine to the edge of the forest, he was much interest- 

 ed in finding the foremost trees ground into pulp and splinters, 

 intermixed with the material of the moraine — the result of a 

 recent northward advance of this corner of the glacier. 



During a brief landing at St. Matthews Island in Bering 

 Sea, Gilbert made an ornithological discovery of considerable 

 interest, finding two nests of the white Hyperborean Snowflake 

 — one of the rarest and most beautiful of American birds and 

 one not known to breed anywhere in the world except on this 

 island and its close neighbor, Hall Island. The bird belongs 

 to a group whose members usually place their nests on the 

 ground among grass or other plants; but those discovered by 

 Gilbert were in holes a foot or two deep on the sea-face of 

 cliffs — an extraordinary location, due without doubt to the 

 abundance of the bird's arch enemy, the arctic fox. 



In later years, when the strain of continued mental effort 

 brought on distress of the head, he was forced to shorten the 

 hours of work with resulting increase in the time available for 

 other occupations. He had been a famous walker, but at this 

 period was no longer able to do much tramping and had to seek 

 exercise and amusement in other ways. Fortunately, he was 

 fond of canoeing, and in favorable weather, when in Washing- 

 ton, might be seen paddhng on the Potomac River nearly every 

 afternoon. At other times, if like-minded companions were 

 available, he played billiards, dominoes, or cards, or read 

 aloud ; and when alone, alternated reading and solitaire. Once 

 or twice a year he went to see a game of ball, or took the chil- 

 dren of some friend to the circus; but he did not care much 

 for the theater or for music, and needed the stimulus of com- 

 panionship to indulge in either. He disliked public meetings 



