upon the Distribution of Vegetables. 169 



the group of Rettenstein. The argillaceous schist contains 

 copper ore. The sandstone is of two sorts ; that which is in 

 contact with the grauwacke, (the old red sandstone of Eng- 

 land), is of a deep red or grey ; its texture is uniform and 

 schistose, and it often encloses beds of gypsum. The new 

 red sandstone, (todt liegende), is hard, of a pale red, often 

 greenish or whitish, variegated, fine-grained, abounding in 

 mica, and sometimes schistose. The limestone forms moun- 

 tains, some of which rise to the height of from 5000 to 7300 

 feet ; the mountain variety belongs to the limestone of the re- 

 cent transition series ; sometimes it is replaced by conglome- 

 rates. Erratic boulders, the composition of which is different 

 from that of all the rocks found in the country, present them- 

 selves to the notice of the observer on every side ; many dis- 

 play marks of friction upon their surfaces, which may throw 

 some light on the manner of their transportation. They re- 

 sist all atmospheric influence, and present only here and there 

 some traces of lichens, which have succeeded in fixing them- 

 selves through the decomposition of the feldspar, a rock more 

 readily acted upon by external agents than the others. 



The atmospheric influences, which, in conjunction with 

 those of the sun and of the latitude, determine or modify the 

 vegetation of a country, are, 1st, the weight of the air, and its 

 variations ; 2ndly, the annual and diurnal changes of tempe- 

 rature ; 3rdly, the hygrometrical and electrical state of the air; 

 4thly, rain, snow, hail, &c. ; 5thly, the winds ; 6thly, the 

 changes in the chemical composition of the atmosphere. All 

 these influences united constitute what we term climate. 



The barometrical observations were made three times a day 

 for a year ; and give for the mean height of the barometer, at 

 Kitzbuhel, 697,04 millemetres. Nevertheless as, during the 

 whole of the year 1834, the barometer stood unusually high, 

 we ought perhaps to make a correction, the quota for which 

 may be furnished by the barometer at Inspruck ; this, redu- 

 ced to 0°, has for its mean height, deduced from fifty years 7 

 observation, 708,31, whilst the mean of 1834 is 710,56 ; from 

 which we may conclude that the mean height of the barome- 

 ter at Kitzbuhel is 694,78 millemetres. Taking the mean 

 height of the barometer at the seacoast, and supposing it, ac- 

 cording to Schouw, to be 760,90, the height of Kitzbuhel a- 

 bove the sea is 2347,8 feet. For the height of Inspruck, we 

 arrive at a scarcely different result. According to geodesical 

 and trigonometrical measurement, this town is situated 1791,2 

 feet above the level of the sea ; and Kitzbiihel, according to 

 the corresponding barometrical observations, is 558,6 feet a- 

 bove Inspruck, which gives 2349,8 for the absolute height. — 



p 2 



