140 
RED SNOW. 
to the southwest, which stretched obliquely across the 
glacier at the seat of its emergence from the valley. 
It was here in great abundance, staining the surface 
in patches six or eight yards in diameter. Similar 
patches were to be seen at short intervals extending 
* up the valley. 
Its color was a deep but not bright red. It resem- 
bled, with its accompanying impurities, crushed pre- 
served cranberries, with the seed and capsule strewn 
over the snow. It imparted to paper drawn over it a 
nearly cherry-red, or perhaps crimson stain, which be- 
came brown with exposure ; and a handful thawed 
in a glass tumbler resembled muddy claret. * 
Its coloring matter was evidently soluble ; for, on 
scraping away the surface, we found that it had dyed 
the snow beneath with a pure and beautiful rose color, 
which penetrated, with a gradually softening tint, 
some eight inches below the surface. 
