June 8, 191 1] 



NATURE 



499 



Australian party, namel\", Messrs. Baracchi, Cooke, Dod- 

 well, Kenney, and Beattie, and Mr. Short for Worthing- 

 ton's party. This is the last post until after the eclipse. 

 V\'e will do our best to keep the flag flying on that 

 eventful day, but we must have a clear sky. 



W. J. S. LOCKVF.R. 



N.B. — The photographs accompanying this letter wore 

 all taken (with one exception) by Mr. Winklemann. They 

 were printed by a bluejacket on board H.M.S. Encounter, 

 as conditions were not favourable for the process ashore. 

 This bluejacket is a volunteer for our photographic depart- 

 ment, and a mtv \aluable one. W. J. S. L. 



PHYSIOGRAPHIC STUDIES IN THE FRENCH 



ALPS. 

 T^HE former of the two memoirs included in the publi- 

 cation before us is a report by MM. Flusin and 

 Bernard upon an apparatus for boring into a glacier, 

 devised by MM. Hess and Bliimcke, the working of which 

 they had studied on the Hintereisferner in the Austrian 

 Tirol. As the scientific interest of this is at present more 

 indirect than direct, we may pass on to the second memoir, 

 '' Etudes Glaciaires (jeograpliic|U"s et Botaniques dans le 

 Massif des Gratides Roussiv," !i\- MM. l-"lusin, Jacob, and 

 Offner. 



The Grandes Rou-.^-'- is a rather lofty ;ind insulated 

 range in the French ^\lps, which rises on the right bank 

 of the Romanche, roughly north-east of Bourg d'Oisans. 

 On its jagged crest, which runs approximately from 

 N.X.H to S.S.W., two peaks, though some distance apart, 

 attain the same altitude — 11,395 ^^et. Its western side 

 descends more abruptly than the eastern, so the glaciers 

 on the former are shorter and steeper than on the other. 

 \f ;. ,., ;<land ridge of crystalline rock — granites more or 

 1 nd, and schists — rising from a hilly district of 



I >ozoic (chiefly Liassic) rocks, mainly, no doubt, 



I i-e^Liii (>l tile s.cond of the two i,'reat folding processes 

 ■A-hi(ii have eiveii liirlh to the .Alpine chain. 



First in order, to the west <>t ih. 



and Italy, is the great n 



F 



which ri-.!,- around the hcadwat 

 iheni, th'.' Ecrins and Meije. 

 hii'^'hi — and are linked by th 

 \> 'i of the Ai" 



,.': .il^^-r.^- a IK 



watershed between 

 >f rryslailine peaks 



that 



(lh<n 



the 

 of 111 



til 



to the I ,.|e \,. 



th- \] - '.e'.in ■ 



par; ■.! ih.^ A:|. 

 seen recline" <hi ■ 

 The report in. , 



three reeioii, , ,1" 



divided, 'a,,.! ,, , 

 glnri.r.. ' 



loe,i;ie.-, ■ 



of tlie Veneon — two of 

 xieeding 13,000 feet in 

 (Jell clu Lautaret to the 



l-'arther west, is the range of 

 till farther in thai direction, 

 \les(>/i>ic rock, comes 

 peak on which attains 

 proljabh' an extension 

 >f the Mont Blanc axi- ; 



of Carhonifep 



iniK h inor. 

 It wa-, a 

 for in llii' 



ies ma\ !i. 



massif it overtops the former by 400 or 500 feet, a result 

 which seems to call for explanation. Particulars also of 

 the retreat of the glaciers are given, with maps and some 

 interesting photographs ; in short, the memoir is a most 

 elaborate one, though we cannot forbear remarking tnat 

 if a similar exhaustive treatment is applied to other parts 

 of the Alps — and the practice seems to be growing — con- 

 scientious students will before long often have to cnoose 

 between hours in a library and work in the held. 



T. G. B 



THE }[0\-E.\[Ii.\T OF >l IISOII. 



AiER. 



TX all densely populated areas the water supply i^ a 

 matter of primary importance, especially where the 

 rainfall is scanty, and where a large proportion of the 

 supply is derived from shallow wells. Dr. W. F. Smeeth, 

 of the Geological Department of Mysore, has prepared a 

 report dealing with this subject, which is based upon 

 observations made during the year 1909, so that it provides 

 rather a basis for further study than a complete discu---ioii 

 of the subject. The Mysore plateau extends ovei- soim' 

 29,400 square miles, and is composed alnio-t entireh ot 

 gneisses, granites, and crystalline schists, whi( h are nr.r- 

 or less decomposed to a depth of from 50 to in some place- 

 as much as 100 feet; the upper 50 feet of thi- form- a 

 reservoir which is fpd by the raiiifnli, and will lioUl a 

 quantit\- of wat<r var\inL; willi liie porosity of the 

 materials, and from '* tii v. I!- 1 i'\e th-'ir supply. 

 On account of the > ,\ tlf r.ainfall the 



li'vcl of the wate. !e;a';.lv. and from 



various consideration- I'le .niih-i lak- a /nr.- 

 mittent saturation ha\ino a nraii <l' j-.ih of 10 t-- 



average porosity of u per cent., a-- I'pre-. mini; ;:, _, 



conditions which occur. 



The rainfall varies greatly, from 7,-1 inche- in ilie wi -t 

 to 21-27 inches in the east of the area, and from the 

 average variation of the water-lcM 1 in well-, iumpared 

 with a ground water supply which i- ' 

 to pej- c-(Mit. of the variation in the 

 di»trict, a "percolation factor" i- <>l>ta;;. .. >. . . 

 charge- are included, nor is i'V,i]ior,ition determined in order 

 to oht.iin an inde|)endent v.ahie of the .imonn; ,1. .:;a'n.! i 

 1)\ pei'colation, which by the method .-■ 

 from it|-., (o o.",-; p.^r cent, of the a\ 

 rainfall ; ' • Jib' in i\ : 



tions of irongly n: 



July due lo 01. ■ >Mui:e ,'- ,iion-o(>n in ,,, 

 the east the rainfall of t!r north-ea-: 

 September and Octobir i- mo;- ■:npi>r;ant. 



()!i-erv,ation^ were i .ill.-cip ■! 

 \i!!ae.-. and ?V'; well- wen 



for 1!;. \e.ir 



M< 



lioin all 

 n which fairh" 

 r iii\ ' ' 



n depth of the w\ater 



-iirrii i' \ .r, :•■'.! iroie aeinil ;S ' 

 maximum and minimmn dept'' 

 mean varial i<in in the 1 i lur--' 

 ;7.; per lent, of 1' 

 durine' ihe \-e,ir. I 

 aVeraL;e of i v.^ '' 

 minimum depl h to ■ 



in till i-e wll! re il \' , e- e\ i ; j. 



met w itii In th 



;,. ,i, ,!■,, n,',, I, 



M\-. 



ind mmimum 



■ilh 



AniOliormitjii- 

 I'Hiies (R^gi' 

 M.issif des G:. 

 iews (1909). 



NO. 2 171. VOL. 86] 



Hyilrau- 



-eitrichien. 



.. panorama 



diilicult. 



Although the Nile and 



I ''No!.-- oil the I'iK'.crcroiii 



■'1. Pp, < ). y\:\U: i i 



• 19"-) 



