224 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



Switzerland is now onr goal, but when should I leave off if 

 I began describing ? There the guide-book must perforce pay 

 attention to the works of God that tower so stupendously above 

 those of man. There is even an old scientific guide to Switzer- 

 land (31). But while leaving you mainly to the books (2, 3, 6, 

 10, 12, 21, 22, 31), I may properly emphasize the enormous fold- 

 ing that the rocks have suffered, till gneiss and limestone are 

 intercalated (10), the gradual rise of the chain on the north, and 

 relatively sudden drop-off facing the great plain of Lombardy. 

 The land-slips around the lake of Zug have attracted recent 

 attention, and the origin of the Swiss lakes has already been 

 referred to. The main scientific centers and collections are at 

 Zurich, Berne (where the great smoky quartz crystals are), and 

 Geneva. 



Let us still keep south. In the Odenwald, Black Forest, and 

 Taunus, we had seen the old age of mountains, their teeth worn 

 down to stumps ; in the Alps we have seen their manhood, the 

 sharp " dents " piercing the sky. In the Apennines we shall find 

 them in youth just cutting their teeth, with gums still bleeding 

 lava. But as you reach Turin, climb over the huge mass of Mio- 

 cene gravel to the Superga, and cast one long look back. Fear 

 not, for yonder snowy breaker towering high in the north has 

 towered there for generations, and the plain of Lombardy still 

 smiles as green as ever. Finally, we turn our backs to the glori- 

 ous vision and press on through hills growing ever steejDer, 

 sharper, through rocks more and more crystalline, till suddenly 

 the bay of Genoa bursts on our view. At Genoa the university 

 is housed in a grand old palace, but the collections are huddled 

 together. The civic museum is better. A couple of miles west 

 of Genoa, north of Sestri Ponente, are some gabbros and serpen- 

 tines over which is still a lively discussion. All along the coast 

 of the Biviera we are among rocks that are not old but much 

 disturbed, and contain numerous injections of cupriferous ser- 

 pentine. 



Past Carrara we go — a side-trip expensive and not very re- 

 warding ; the snow-white quarries can be seen from the train — 

 and on to Pisa. The collection of the university here boasts the 

 finest cinnabar crystal in the world. It comes from Elba. This 

 interesting island (24*) and Corsica are conveniently reached 

 from Leghorn. A little farther down the coast branches off the 

 line to Saline. This is a pleasant side-trip to one acquainted with 

 Italian. North of Saline is Monte Catini, with copper-mines 

 and a unique mica trachyte — used for mile-posts, and by the 

 Etruscans for carving. Over the gate of Volterra near by is a 

 head of unknown antiquity. Volterra is the center of the ala- 

 baster industry, and a gypsum formation crops out frequently 



