in the Erratic Baain of the Rhone. 263 



of the eiTatic formation, along the extreme right side on the 

 heights of the chain which overlook Semsale, on the Moleson 

 and La Barra. We again encounter them even beyond Goiig- 

 gisberg. The blocks of ^"alorsine, properly so called, occupy 

 the heights which overhang Vevey, to the exclusion of almost 

 every other rock. They form a broad zone, which, on issuing 

 from the valley, bends to the north-east, and covers all the 

 country between the Alps on the one side, and the heights to 

 the north of Rue and Romont, to the neighbourhood of Fri- 

 bourg and Guggisberg. "We likewise lind them very nume- 

 rous, and even predominating, but mingled vvith the Pennine 

 rocks and granites, on the plateau between Lausanne and 

 Yverdon, and on all the southern bank of the lake of Neucha- 

 tel. They are rare on the northern bank of this lake and at 

 the foot of the Jorat, where they rarely ascend to any height. 

 We may mention, as a phenomenon, a block of this rock, of 

 two or three metres, situate 400 feet above the lake of 

 Neucbatel, in the little valley of Vert, near Boudry. To the 

 east of Berne and Aarberg the Yalorsines are very thinly 

 scattered. 



The western part of the basin is by no means entirely desti- 

 tute of them ; they occur to the Avest of Lausanne and Yver- 

 don, as far as Aubonne, and near the Jura. A few appear 

 here and there in the plain of Geneva ; but these no doubt 

 come from the left bank, from the valley of Valorsine and 

 Trient. In no part of these regions are they so abundant as 

 to impart a character to it, and the size of the blocks is never 

 very remarkable. 



f. Quartz Pebbles. If I have given a place to quartz pebbles 

 among the most characteristic rocks, it is because there are 

 few rocks so generally and uniformly distributed in the basin 

 of the Rhone. The quartz, however, appears most ready to 

 accompany the Pennine rocks. Beyond the limits of the 

 blocks, on the Jura, when every other rock has disappeared, 

 we still find a quartz pebble here and there, even to a height 

 of 4000 feet, as on the summit of the chain of Creux du Vent, 

 between Provence and ]\Iotiers ; on the ridge of the chain of 

 'J'ete de Rang, between A'al do Ruz and the valley of Sagnc ; 

 on the heights of Pcry and Du Mouto ; on the chain which 



