Bouv6.] 
182 
[Dec. 17, 
for all we see and wonder at in the marvellous diversity of the pres- 
ent surface over large portions of our territory. Where great 
areas of the glacier by the protecting debris were kept intact for a 
long period when that about them had melted away, there would 
be found about each such area, as the sun’s rays dissolved its sides, 
hills and hillocks formed by the falling of the gravel and sand from 
its summit, more or less modified by the melting ice ; and when all 
the ice had melted there would remain a deep depression, such as 
we now know as kettle-holes. Where channels existed of any length, 
and these became filled with the sand and gravel, there would be 
formed ridges ; and when large areas of the ice first melted away, 
the material flooded into these areas would form hills and ranges 
of hills such as we now find occupying a considerable portion of 
our territory. 
It will be readily recognized, that though the course of the chan- 
nels of the surface and in the glacier was generally the same as that 
of the movement of the ice-sheet itself, and consequently the ridges 
formed would be now found having a like direction, yet when by 
the clogging of the channel’s unequal melting, the water was forced 
to deviate, the ridges formed would present themselves varying 
much from the normal direction, as they now do in regions approx- 
imating to the termination of the great ice-sheet. Some of our 
ridges, notably those of Great Hill, have an east-west direction, 
such as it is supposed the glacier itself had near its closing period 
over eastern Massachusetts ; but others or portions of others vary 
so as to be found running in every direction. 
The foregoing is by no means an exhaustive account of all the 
kame ridges and other developments in Hingham. 
The writer lacked time to examine all the territory. 
Professor Niles then presented the following resolution : — 
Resolved : — That the members of the Boston Society of Natural 
History assembled having listened with peculiar interest to the 
paper upon “kame ridges, kettle-holes and other phenomena attend- 
ants on the passing away of the great ice-sheet in Hingham,” by 
Ex-President Thomas T. Bouve, extend to him their congratula- 
tions upon the completion of this valuable contribution tothegeol- 
ogy of this region. 
The resolution was unanimously approved by the members of 
the Society present. 
