t 9 xt] ON PHYSIOGRAPHY 39 1 
from our own negatives, Ponting's Alpine work, and the 
choicest illustrations of certain scientific books. The 
preparation of the slides had involved a good deal of work 
for Ponting as well as for the lecturer. The lecture dealt 
with ice erosion, and the pictures made it easy to follow 
the comparison of our own mountain forms and glacial 
contours with those that have received so much attention 
elsewhere. Noticeable differences are the absence of 
moraine material on the lower surfaces of our glaciers, 
their relatively insignificant movement, their steep sides, 
&c. . . . It is difficult to convey the bearing of the 
difference or similarity of various features common to 
the pictures under comparison without their aid. It is 
sufficient to note that the points to which the lecturer 
called attention were pretty obvious and that the lecture 
was exceedingly instructive. The origin of 1 cirques ■ or 
4 cwms/ of which we have remarkably fine examples, is 
still a little mysterious — one notes also the requirement 
of observation which might throw light on the erosion 
of previous ages. 
After Taylor's effort Ponting showed a number of very 
beautiful slides of Alpine scenery — not a few are triumphs 
of the photographer's art. As a wind-up Ponting took a 
flashlight photograph of our hut converted into a lecture 
hall : a certain amount of faking will be required, but I 
think this is very allowable under the circumstances. 
Oates tells me that one of the ponies, * Snippets,' will 
eat blubber ! the possible uses of such an animal are 
remarkable ! 
The gravel on the north side of the hut against which 
