Marcu 11, 1897 | 
NATURE 
441 
coverers of the Caucasus,” occupied largely by reference 
to the English expeditions, to which our knowledge of 
its highest peaks is due. He then describes “the 
characteristics of the Caucasus,” comparing the range 
with the Alps, and referring to the most striking features 
in its flora, and stating the extent of its glaciers. After 
a brief summary of the political history of the region, 
he proceeds to his main task—a description of the prin- 
cipal peaks or groups of peaks, and a narrative of the 
first and, sometimes also of one or two, later ascents. In 
the second volume the chapters on the mountains and 
mountaineering are continued, and include contributions 
by Messrs. H. W. Holder, J. G. Cockin, Hermann 
Woolley, and Maurice de Déchy. The chapter in the 
book of most special interest to naturalists, both from 
its subject and the originality of its treatment, is that 
contributed by Prof. Bonney. It deals with “the 
physical history of the Caucasus,” and is illustrated by 
a geological map prepared by Mr. Reeves. Prof. Bonney 
points out that the Caucasus agrees more closely with 
the Pyrenees than with the Alps: for it is approximately 
Fic. 
a single chain formed by an isoclinal fold, and is much 
simpler than the Alps, both in history and structure. 
Thus, although part of the Caucasian region was occupied 
impossible in the view that the fossils belong to the 
later period. 
Prof. Bonney’s lucid sketch of Caucasian history is the 
first of the appendices, the rest of which include the 
by land at intervals during the Palaeozoic and Mesozoic | 
eras, it was not until between the Eocene and the 
Miocene that a mountain chain was formed there. The 
height was increased by a second series of earth-move- 
ments, which happened in the Pliocene. In structure 
| for general truth to local detail. 
the main chain consists of a band of gneiss, flanked by | 
crystalline schists, which, at two localities, form the | 
central watershed. On the southern side the schists are 
succeeded by Palaeozoic clay slates, while parallel to the | 
main range, and on both sides of it, there are belts of | 
Jurassic, Cretaceous, and Cainozoic deposits. 
the later deposits rise to a considerable height on the 
flanks: thus some fossils found by Sella on the summit 
of the Laila, prove the presence there of some Neozoic 
deposit ; this is said to be Lower Jurassic or Cretaceo- 
Eocene. As Fournier’s recent section shows that 
there are Eocene rocks only a little to the south of 
Some of | 
the Laila, and that they occur as a monoclinal fold, | 
of which the northern limb is lost, there is nothing | 
NO. 1428, VOL. 55] 
climbing record, tables of temperature and rainfall, a 
list of the heights at which the glacier snouts occur, and 
a very short list of literature. One of the principab 
features of the book is its illustrations. Most of them 
are Signor Sella’s photographs reproduced by the 
Meisenbach Company ; a few, including one or two of 
the best, such as the view of Ushba and the Chalaat 
Glacier, are by the Swan Electric Engraving Company- 
Mr. Freshfield has accepted photographs, as indispensable 
in such a work as the present, where precision of detail is. 
required ; but he frankly confesses his personal preference 
for engravings. This, however, as he aptly remarks, 1s. 
not to be taken as a preference for art to accuracy, but 
The photographs are 
so numerous and so superbly reproduced, that they show 
local detail in extraordinary fulness ; and the views are 
so well chosen, that they are as beautiful as they are 
me a i tograph by W. Donkin. 
2.—The Zanner Passes. 
instructive, as accurate as they are artistic. By the 
courtesy of the publishers, two of the half-tone illustrations 
are here reproduced. 
With the exception of the journals of Alpine gymnasts, 
the average book on mountaineering takes a higher place 
as literature than that of any other class of travel. The 
author’s literary style is too well known to need any 
commendation here, and it need only be remarked that 
the present work ranks with the best of Alpine literature. 
There is one point, however, which is open to criticism. 
In his endeavour to avoid using “words of terror,” 
which alarm general readers and break the music of 
sentences, Mr. Freshfield has not followed any definite 
system of transliterating place-names. Accordingly, to 
discover Mr. Freshfield’s localities on the recent French 
map of Fournier, or on any Russian map, is a puzzle that 
requires ingenuity and patience ; while to find his names 
in a Russian index is sometimes almost impossible. 
Thus y is sometimes transliterated c/, and at other times 
ish ym is rendered as 7 or ad; & may stand either for 
the Russian x or x, while 4% also represents both these 
