LAKES. 9$ 



Arran. But appearances from such a distauce are little 

 to be relied on, especially about the region of the snow 

 line. Professor Forbes, who is no novice in mountaineer- 

 ing, describes the ascent as very troublesome, on account 

 of the deep sludgy snow-pits between the boulders. 



' The road now plunges into a deep valley in company 

 with the river Driv, which roars and foams among the 

 rocky masses that restrain its course. The amount of 

 water at this elevation gives evidence of the extent of the 

 fjeld, and of the quantity of snow that is thawing around 

 Schneehaettan. Many small lateral streams pour into the 

 valley, cutting deep gutters in the rocks over which they 

 fall. Several of these flow directly from the patches of 

 snow that fill the hollows above. There is a curious and 

 very pretty effect produced by a peculiar formation of the 

 mountains on the other side of the river. Each ridge of 

 rock runs down nearly parallel with the valley, and forms 

 a long slender-pointed high-backed promontory ; one side 

 of the promontory ridge being nearly perpendicular, and thus 

 a little blind glen is formed into which the rocky promontory 

 would about fit if it were reversed. These glens are evenly 

 curved, and smooth, covered with rich grass, and .dotted 

 with shrubs and lilliputian birch trees. They are very 

 numerous, much alike, and occur at rather regular inter- 

 vals, giving quite a character to the valley, and contrasting 

 beautifully with its general wildness: any one of them 

 would form a subject for a charming little picture. The 

 scenery is very fine all down this ravine to Drivstuen. 

 The river makes some fine cascades, and several minor 

 ones are formed by the streamlets which tumble into it 

 from the snow patches. 



The character of the scenery changes below Drivstuen, 

 where, instead of wild broken rocks, the road passes over 

 an almost park-like green sward. . . . My next 

 day's walk was through a rich cultivated valley, with 

 snowy mountain peaks ahead. Murray says the Schnee- 

 haettan is visible here, but unless my maps and compass 

 deceive me considerably this must be a mistake, 



