252 Capt. Marshall Hali—Swiss Geological Excursion. 
couple of hours up to La Creuse, whence is a splendid view of Mont 
Blane. And I think the approach to the valley of Chamounix by 
this side of the valley far more interesting than that by the Téte 
Noire. The upper portions are gneiss. M. Renevier maps them 
as ‘“schistes et grés metamorphiques,” differing in this from the 
late Professor Studer, as the latter mentioned to me in several 
conversations. 
The traveller should return to Vernayaz, or go on to Martigny, 
by the south-east side of the Trient, by the bridge of La Taillat and 
the hamlet of Guéroz. Thence he will take rail to Visp. The 
geological interest of the Valais increases, and its scenery is much 
under-appreciated. ‘The Jurassic crags, peaks and precipices on the 
north side after reaching Saxon, are very grand and wild. The 
tendency of the Jurassic rocks to slope up like a heavy swell at sea, 
from the north, and, so to speak, break like the crests of waves in 
stormy weather on the south, is well exemplified. On the south 
side at the base of the mountains we have a different series, lowest 
are anthracitic schists, then a long strip of dolomite, extending to 
beyond Sierre, then banks of quartzite, and high up micaceous and 
other schists. 
The flat valley, filled with old and recent alluvium, with the old 
Castles at Sion perched upon their craggy islands, the old moraines, 
especially about Sierre, would be excuse enough for the geologist to 
delay his journey at many points. 
On arriving at Visp we start at right angles to the Rhone valley, 
ascending through the Schistes lustrés of Triassic age ; then through 
some quartzite, and subsequently an occurrence of dolomite, then 
serpentine, which on the west side forms a not inconsiderable height. 
We then come upon mica and some chlorite schists, and, crossing a 
highly picturesque bridge, reach Stalden in less than two hours 
from Visp. Here we pass the night, well above the flies, queer 
odours, and generally doubtfully salubrious air of the Valais plain. 
Near Stalden are some notable stone-capped pillars and glacial 
detritus, resembling the well-known earth-columns of Botzen. 
Leaving the valley of §. Niklaus to the right, next morning 
we begin to mount the actual Saas-Thal, to the south-east. Mark 
the blocks of gneiss perched on the hill-side, and study the water- 
worn gorge, with its wooden bridges and torrent roaring at great 
depths. We come toa level with the bed of the stream, and find 
therein a considerable variety of pebbles of schists, gneiss, serpentine, 
gabbros, ete. In four hours we reach Saas-im-Grund, and again 
come, in the valley sides, upon a bank of dolomite, between the older 
metamorphic schists and the gneiss of the central mountain mass. 
J have seen sections well showing the contact metamorphisms of this 
dolomite. I should be much obliged if any geologist having the 
time would kindly examine the relations of these occurrences of 
dolomite to the other rocks. Saas-im-Grund itself is upon the edge 
of schists and gneiss just mentioned, and it is worth while to spend 
the rest of the day in this field-work, and in walking forty minutes 
up the west side of the valley to Saas-Fée (where there is a good 
