74 HELEN ABBOTT MICHAEL 



genious way in which the bears were fed. At the astonish- 

 ingly fine Museum of Natural History, the mineral collection 

 suggested to her the advisability of studying the carbonates 

 occurring in minerals, as including amorphous conditions, 

 and determining if all minerals tending to organic forms are 

 carbonates. 



She spent the afternoon of November i in an excursion 

 to Thun and Interlaken. The weather had cleared and the 

 Alps stood out most sharply defined. She says: "The wa- 

 ter of Lake Thun is perfectly clear, and the bottom can 

 be seen many feet under water a long distance from shore. 

 The old town of Thun is perched most attractively on the 

 side of a hill overlooking the lake and facing the mountains. 

 What more heavenly spot to select than this? The grandeur 

 of the Bernese Oberland cannot be more felt than under 

 these conditions under which I saw them. The total absence 

 of clouds and the soft, turquoise blue sky recalled the land of 

 Italy beyond, but the intense cold recalled the many trage- 

 dies which have occurred among those heights of snow. It 

 was indeed the best view I had ever had of the Alps, and I 

 felt my heart leaving me with the intense longing to stay among 

 them. The autumnal sun, of course, added to the charm. 

 The pine trees were lightly touched with a snowy mantle. 

 Many of the rocky prominences where the pines grow scat- 

 tered were also sprinkled. It reminded me of a grisly-haired 

 old man. 



"As the landing was approached, the Jungfrau and her 

 companions rose in all majesty. The sky was of the tenderest 

 blue. At the mountains' base, this color took on a deeper tone. 

 The snow-fields interrupted this color symphony, and by con- 

 trast added new grace and beauty to the color gradation." 



A short ride by rail took her to Interlaken, where she was 

 fortunate enough in having a full moon. "As I opened the 

 window, I believe I shall never again see such a sight. Not a 

 cloud was to be seen. The Jungfrau was a field of silver. The 

 red and blue stars showered smiles of admiration and light 

 upon these snow-mounds." 



The next day she went to Grindelwald, and saw the moun- 



