﻿NO. 7 



SMITHSONIAN EXPLORATIONS, I926 



31 



Leaving Dr. Canti with much regret, Dr. Bassler proceeded to 

 the Rhine valley w^here he studied, in succession, the broad plain 

 around Strassburg, the valley to Mainz and the valley of the Main 

 River from Mainz to Frankfort. Next the trip through the Rhine 

 gorge was made, which was particularly interesting in that a first- 

 hand knowledge was obtained of the Devonian stratigraphy of this 

 classic area. Important collections of Devonian fossils were secured 

 here, and the classification of them as well as of other collections 

 from this area secured in the past, can now be made intelligently. 



Fig. 36. — Bavarian Plateau at Munich with Deutsches Museum. 



Although Rhine valley scenes are familiar to all, the photograph of 

 the Pfalz in the middle of the river, the ruined castle at the top of 

 the plateau, the modern town at the water level and the terraces for 

 vineyards, in addition to the stratigraphy (fig. 35) make a combi- 

 nation of geological and historical interest hard to surpass. 



The Early Tertiary deposits of southern Bavaria were next studied, 

 and opportunity was taken here to visit the wonderful Deutsches 

 Museum at Munich (fig. 36) where one can study the underground 

 geology of the earth's crust in the basement halls and proceed from 

 story to story through all phases of human activity until in the 

 planetarium at the top of the building the movements of the heavenly 

 bodies are exhibited. A chance to study the Mesozoic limestones of 



