CURRENT LITERATURE. 



Statistik und Verbau der Laminen in den Schweizeralpen. By 

 Dr. J. Coaz. Bern, 1910. Pp. 126, pis. 28. 



Our observations of avalanches in this country have so far been 

 recorded only where one of fatal character has occurred, and 

 little, or nothing is known of the many thousands which slide 

 down every year, leaving their tracks for decades to be seen prob- 

 ably by a lone prospector or sheep herder, and nobody knows 

 when, how, and under what conditions they occurred. The 

 localities where avalanches occur are practically within National 

 Forests and it will, therefore, be left almost exclusively to Forest 

 officers to obtain data of future practical value. 



The fatal catastrophe during the winter of 19 10 along the Great 

 Northern Railroad in the Cascade Mountains ofifered an oppor- 

 tunity for the Forset Service to make the first study of avalanches 

 which will become more and more disastrous with the develop- 

 ment of mountainous regions. 



In order to spread information in regard to the character, origin 

 and prevention of avalanches to forest officers and others inter- 

 ested on that subject we have to seek foreign literature. For this 

 purpose there is no other land on the globe which furnishes more 

 information and statistics than Switzerland. Switzerland, with 

 one-fourth of the size of the State of Washington, and with 

 twelve times denser population, has records which are singular in 

 character. The federal Forest Service of that country has kept 

 a record of about 10,000 avalanches which have occurred since 

 1872, and it has spent about 2,000,000 francs for their prevention. 

 The book reviewed contains beautiful pictures, avalanche maps, 

 and records, the author of which will remain an authority on the 

 subject for many years yet to come. 



The statistical observation of avalanches encounters very 

 many difficulties. In the first place a sharp line between a snow 

 slide and an avalanche does not exist. Besides the extent, we 

 must consider the locality and the danger connected with it. An 

 avalanche in higher altitude above the timber line may be called 



