300 On the Physical Geography of the Alps. 



of 10,000, but the ptarmigan goes higher. Bears also show 

 themselves, though rarely, in the upper parts of the Alps. 

 They are dangerous to the Alpine herds and the chamois. 

 Among the Rodents may be mentioned Hypudceus nivalis^ 

 discovered by Martins, on the Faulhorn, at 8250 feet. The 

 winter abodes of the marmot also occur still above 8000 feet. 



** The larger birds of prey, the eagle and vulture, rise 

 above the highest peaks ; even small birds often attain con- 

 siderable heights. The authors observed a group, among 

 which Sylvia cyanecula was conspicuous, near the Wildspitz, 

 at 11,000 feet, but these seem to have been driven up by a 

 violent wind. They often met with small birds, such as the 

 Fringilla nivalis. Accentor alpinus, on the firn masses of the 

 Pasterze, at elevations of 10,000 to 11,000 feet ; these were 

 in search of insects, which so often abound on the surface of 

 t\\efirn. Zumstein obsei'ved the Pyrrhocorax on the summit 

 of Mont Rosa, and Saussure observed the same bird on the 

 Col du Geant at a height of 10,578 Fr. ft. 



" Insects seem to be the animals that live at the greatest 

 elevation throughout the year. But in addition to those 

 living high up, many others are found upon the glaciers and 

 firn masses, especially iV^€wro/?^e/*«, which are either carried up 

 by the ascending currents of air, and by winds, or fly towards 

 the bright light of the snow fields, and at length fall ex- 

 hausted to the ground. The number of dead insects which 

 are sometimes found over the whole area of an extensive 

 plain of frozen snow is astonishingly great. It appears that 

 the insects dwelling highest up are without wings, even the 

 beetles, which indeed tends to their preservation, since they 

 are thus incapacitated from wandering too far from their 

 abodes, — little crevices of the rock, and the last heaps of 

 humus near the mosses and lichens. Heer found five kinds 

 of spiders at 10,000 feet, and eight different spiders, and 

 thirteen beetles, from 8500 to 9000 feet, in the Grisons. It 

 may be mentioned as characteristic of these little creatures, 

 that they are all inhabitants of holes, and usually carnivorous, 

 not living on plants. They are almost all of dark or black co- 

 lour, even when the same or closely allied species exhibit bril- 

 liant colours in lower stations." The infusoria of atmospheric 

 dust and the famous red snow have no definite upper limit. 



