Climatic Changes Indicated by Glacters.— Russel, 327 
Alaska: The evidence that a general retreat of the glaciers of 
Alaska is still in progress is abundant, and in a few instances is 
of quantitative value. 
Lynn Canal: About this magnificent inlet there are many ice 
streams of the alpine type, which descend nearly to sea level, but 
none of them are now actually tide water glaciers. About the 
ends of many of them there are dense forests of spruce trees 
which must have been growing for at least one hundred and fifty 
years, but between the forests and the present terminus of the 
ice there is in several instances a barren area covered with morainal 
deposits and bearing every indication of having but recently been 
abandoned by the glaciers.* These conditions are especially 
noticeable at the extremity of the Davidson glacier, situated on 
the western side of the inlet near its head, which expands into a 
broad ice foot on leaving the wild gorge through which it flows. 
Between the present terminus of the ice and the encircling forest 
there is a barren tract half a mile broad, which has been left by a 
retreat of the ice so recently that vegetation has not been able to 
take root upon it. A decided retreat of the ice has here recently 
occurred, and to all appearances is still in progress, but no ob- 
servations of its rate have been made. 
Conditions similar to those seen at Davidson glacier were ob- 
served in connection with several other ice streams in the same 
region. In Taku inlet, the Norris glacier comes down to sea 
level, but is separated from the water by broad mud flats. There 
is no indication that this glacier has recently advanced and an 
accumulation of debris over its surface indicates that it is melt- 
ing away. The Taku glacier near at hand, is of the tidewater 
type and evidence of recent changes are wanting. 
Glacier Bay: The evidence of recent changes in Muir Gla- 
cier have been presented by Wright,+ who has shown that 
it has quite recently been both more extensive and of less size 
that at present. Additional evidence of these changes have 
been supplied by Reid, { who concludes that Muir Glacier and 
other ice streams now discharging into Glacier bay, were form- 
*Bull. Geol. Soc. Am., Vol. 1, 1890, p. 152. 
+The Ice Age in North America, by G. Frederick Wright, New York, 
1889, pp. 51-57. 
{Studies of the Muir Glacier, by H. F. Reid, National Geographic 
Mag., Vol. rv, 1891, pp. 
