1892 - 93 .] Dr Munro on a EemarhaUe Glacier-Lahe. 57 
tion of a dam across the outlet of the lower lake (Eembidalsvand), 
with a sluice to regulate the flow of water, so that on an emergency 
of this kind arising, only a certain quantity of water could escape 
in a given time. 
At that time of the year (20th August) this temporary lake, as I 
was informed, had already disappeared ; but notwithstanding this 
I was determined to visit the locality, in order to get as correct an 
idea as possible of the physical and topographical conditions which 
gave origin to such an unusual phenomenon. 
The inner reaches of the great fiords on the west coast of Norway 
consist of a series of deep, narrow valleys, to which numerous streams 
from the upper plateaus and snowfields converge. These valleys, 
bounded by lofty precipices on both sides, ramify for miles into the 
interior of the country, and generally end in a kind of cul-de-sac^ 
with a perpendicular frontage some 2000 or 3000 feet high. 
Such a valley is the wild ravine known as the Simodal, which 
begins at the head of the Eidfiord and terminates with the Kem- 
bidalsfos. After a journey of about four houi’s, the first portion of 
which was by a rowing boat, we reached this fine waterfall, whose 
roar and spray had already for some time attracted attention. It 
takes an hour’s hard work for a steady walker to mount to the 
plateau above. This can be achieved by following a zigzag path 
among a mass of fallen rocks — the gradually-accumulated talus of 
post-glacial ages. Near the top one has to draw largely from his 
stock of mountaineering agility to climb up an overhanging preci- 
pice with the aid of a fixed rope and some roughly-cut footsteps in 
the rock. 
The change from the confined valley below to the keen, clear 
atmosphere of this plateau, with its far-reaching views, was like 
coming into a new world. A walk of a few hundred yards over 
some rocky prominences and one or two treacherous bogs, still fed 
by the vanishing remnants of a snow-wreath, brought me to a com- 
manding position, which afforded, for the first time, an opportunity 
of scanning the salient features of my surroundings. At my feet 
lay the lake whose beautifully clear water was as tranquil as if it 
were a sheet of glass. At its upper end, about a mile distant, and 
directly facing me, was the glacier which, in curving over a steep 
declivity, disclosed a charming view of its entire lower portion. 
