Canon Bonney — Moraines and Mud-streams in the Alps. 13 



nearly resembles a moraine in outline, but we find on further 

 examination that it extends some distance up the valley beyond 

 the village, not to mention other difficulties. We have not, however, 

 far to go to obtain much stronger evidence. The lower part of the 

 mountain buttress between the Gorner and the Saas Visp is formed 

 of, or more strictly speaking masked by, identical material, which 

 also has clearly come from above. Looking up the latter valley 

 from the station at Stalden we can see on its right bank, at some 

 distance, another terrace slope of the grey debris, lodged in similar 

 position to that with the pillars. In fact, as we walk up the valley 

 to Saas, we pass by two or three of these deposits ; that of which 

 I give a rough diagram being on the left bank, not far from the 

 Boden Briicke. This affords us distinct proof that the debris was 



Fig. 2. — Section by the Saas Visp near Boden Brucke. 

 A diagram constructed from a sketch taken on the mule -track. 



(1) Bare rocky crags (gneiss) rising up to the skyline. 



(2) Talus of fallen rock. 



(3) ' Mud avalanche ' material. 



(4) Steep bare rock, rounded, smoothed and scored by ice. This, near where 



I stood, could be traced to mthin 10 feet of the Visp. 



(5) Talus at foot of cliff-face of mud avalanche, overgrown by vegetation descending 



towards the Visp — which would be nearly an inch below the bottom of the 

 drawing. 



deposited after the ice had finally retreated from this part of the 

 valley, that it descended from some part of the mountain above 

 the cliffs which we see from below, and that it was formed under 

 conditions which no longer exist, for its upper part is now buried 

 by a talus of broken rock derived apparently from these cliffs.^ 

 In no instance is the rock which has supplied the avalanche material 



1 I have little doubt that the Zwerglithurm near the path from Viesch to 

 Eggischorn, figured by Sir C. Lyell ("Principles of Geology," ch. xv), which 

 I examined in 1881, has been carved out of similar material. 



