Untitled

THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CAUCASUS -
53
under his eyes in ground from which glaciers had recently with-
drawn.
I disbelieve, for reasons I have set out fully elsewhere,' in the
excavation by moving ice of rock-basins. But that glaciers keep
them scoured and leave them empty is obvit)us, I
sup])Ose, to
every mountain ti'aveller who uses his eyes.
I cannot doubt that
glaciers pi'eserve basins formed by other agencies, and tliat when
the protection of the ice is removed such basins are slowly drained
or obliterated. The absence of water- tilled hollows in the Caucasus
is, in my belief, not conclusive, one way or the other, as to the glacial
origin of mountain lakes. What it may prove is that the period
during which the glaciers have not greatly exceeded their present
dimensions has been a longer one in the Caucasus than in the Alps.
The movements of Caucasian and Alpine glaciers have of late
years shown a general correspondence.
In 1868 the Caucasian ice
was in retreat. About 1875 the tide seemed to turn ; and
1887-89 many glaciers were slightly advancing.-
in
Great glaciers, heavily snow-draped peaks, and ridges, rampant
vegetation, all point to the conclusion that the Western Caucasus
has a very moist climate. They point also to the fact that it has
no long dry season. The part of the Alps which the general aspect
of the flora most recalls— I am not speaking of the identity of
species — is the Dolomites, or Venetian Alps. It rains or snows
heavily in spring or winter in Coi'sica or the Maritime Alps ; but
there, above the zone of artificial irrigation, you find comparatively
few flowers, and the reason is obvious— the long sunmier
drought. Statistics bear out this conclusion ; returns of meteoro-
logical observations from Stavropol, Vladikavkaz, and the Caucasian
Baths north of the chain, from Batum, Kutais, Sukhum, Poti,
Goi"i, Tiflis, to the south. ( )bservations from Oni, or Betsho, or
'
Proceedings of the Boyal Geographical Society (New Series), vol. x. p. 770, 'A Note on
the Conservative Action of Glaciers.'
- M. de Dechy has, in his various journeys, taken a certain numl)er of observations with the
mercurial barometer of the heights of the ends of glaciers and of the line of neve, and also set
marks and dates opposite the ends of the ice. See his paper in the Proceedings of the
Gieographiciil Congress at Paris in 1889. M. Jukoff has also published some measurements in
the Proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society, vol. xiv. p. 112 (1892).