﻿482 
  t. 
  e. 
  bonnet 
  our 
  the 
  glacier-ekosion 
  

  

  Campfer. 
  Between 
  Campfer 
  and 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  St.-Moritzer 
  See 
  

   is 
  a 
  rocky 
  plain, 
  and 
  the 
  river 
  in 
  places 
  has 
  low 
  cliffs 
  at 
  its 
  

   side, 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  upper 
  lake 
  occupies 
  a 
  true 
  rock-basin 
  ; 
  the 
  lower 
  

   one 
  is 
  also 
  enclosed 
  by 
  a 
  rounded 
  ridge 
  of 
  schistose 
  rock, 
  through 
  

   a 
  narrow 
  gorge 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  water 
  escapes 
  in 
  a 
  rapid 
  torrent. 
  

  

  At 
  first 
  sight 
  these 
  lakes 
  seem 
  very 
  favourable 
  to 
  the 
  theory 
  of 
  

   glacier- 
  erosion 
  ; 
  but 
  on 
  closer 
  examination 
  several 
  grave 
  difficulties 
  

   suggest 
  themselves. 
  Confining 
  our 
  attention 
  for 
  the 
  present 
  to 
  the 
  

   lower 
  lake 
  (St. 
  Moritz) 
  we 
  notice 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  1. 
  The 
  gorge 
  corresponds 
  roughly 
  in 
  direction 
  with 
  the 
  axis 
  of 
  

   the 
  valley 
  (S.W. 
  to 
  N".E.) 
  ; 
  but 
  the 
  longer 
  axis 
  of 
  the 
  lake 
  lies 
  

   about 
  W.S.W. 
  to 
  E.N.E., 
  the 
  little 
  glen 
  through 
  which 
  the 
  waters 
  

   pass 
  to 
  enter 
  the 
  gorge 
  branching 
  off 
  about 
  two 
  thirds 
  of 
  the 
  way 
  

   down 
  the 
  lake 
  ; 
  the 
  remaining 
  one 
  third 
  of 
  the 
  lake-basin 
  is 
  formed 
  

   by 
  the 
  union 
  of 
  three 
  small 
  glens, 
  down 
  each 
  of 
  which 
  a 
  stream 
  

   descends, 
  the 
  first 
  a 
  mere 
  streamlet 
  from 
  the 
  barrier 
  ridge, 
  the 
  second 
  

   and 
  largest 
  descending 
  from 
  the 
  Statzer 
  See 
  (a 
  small 
  sheet 
  of 
  water 
  

   on 
  the 
  low 
  shoulder 
  of 
  the 
  mountain 
  between 
  Pontresina 
  and 
  St. 
  

   Moritz), 
  and 
  the 
  third 
  from 
  the 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  main 
  (Surlei) 
  ridge. 
  

  

  2. 
  The 
  northern 
  bank 
  of 
  the 
  lake 
  (on 
  which 
  stands 
  the 
  village 
  of 
  

   St. 
  Moritz) 
  is 
  very 
  steep, 
  actually 
  precipitous 
  at 
  places 
  ; 
  and 
  this 
  

   extends 
  to 
  some 
  distance 
  beyond 
  the 
  gorge 
  *. 
  

  

  Let 
  us 
  then 
  suppose 
  for 
  a 
  moment 
  that 
  a 
  glacier 
  excavated 
  this 
  

   lake-basin. 
  This 
  glacier 
  must 
  either 
  have 
  been 
  an 
  offshoot 
  from 
  

   the 
  old 
  Pontresina 
  glacier 
  which 
  overlapped 
  the 
  shoulder 
  mentioned 
  

   above 
  and 
  descended 
  by 
  the 
  Statzer 
  See, 
  or 
  it 
  must 
  have 
  flowed 
  

   down 
  from 
  the 
  flank 
  of 
  the 
  Piz 
  Surlei, 
  or 
  it 
  must 
  have 
  come 
  down 
  

   the 
  main 
  valley 
  from 
  the 
  Maloya 
  Pass. 
  

  

  Doubtless 
  a 
  great 
  glacier 
  did 
  descend 
  over 
  Pontresina 
  ; 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  

   possible 
  that 
  it 
  may 
  have 
  overlapped 
  at 
  some 
  period 
  of 
  its 
  existence 
  

   in 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  St. 
  Moritz 
  f; 
  but 
  it 
  seems 
  inconceivable, 
  unless 
  we 
  

   attribute 
  far 
  more 
  plasticity 
  to 
  ice 
  than 
  is 
  usually 
  conceded, 
  that 
  it 
  

   can 
  have 
  sent 
  off 
  an 
  offshoot 
  at 
  right 
  angles 
  to 
  its 
  main 
  direction 
  of 
  

   flow 
  which 
  would 
  have 
  had 
  sufficient 
  power 
  to 
  excavate 
  these 
  hard 
  

   rocks. 
  Furthermore 
  a 
  glacier 
  has 
  certainly 
  descended 
  the 
  main 
  (Inn) 
  

   valley 
  ; 
  is 
  it 
  likely 
  that 
  it 
  would 
  have 
  been 
  thrust 
  back 
  so 
  far 
  by 
  this 
  

   intruder 
  ? 
  With 
  regard 
  to 
  the 
  second 
  hypothesis, 
  it 
  is 
  evident 
  that 
  

   no 
  important 
  glacier 
  has 
  descended 
  from 
  this 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  Piz 
  Surlei. 
  

   If 
  then 
  we 
  adopt 
  the 
  glacier-erosion 
  hypothesis, 
  we 
  are 
  driven 
  to 
  

   attribute 
  the 
  lake 
  to 
  the 
  Inn 
  glacier, 
  of 
  whose 
  former 
  passage 
  down 
  

   this 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  valley 
  there 
  is 
  sufficient 
  evidence. 
  But 
  in 
  this 
  case 
  

   how 
  are 
  we 
  to 
  explain 
  the 
  abrupt 
  termination 
  of 
  the 
  rock-basin 
  ? 
  

   The 
  rocks 
  about 
  the 
  gorge 
  mentioned 
  above 
  would 
  be 
  in 
  the 
  " 
  Stoss- 
  

  

  * 
  Between 
  this 
  cliff 
  and 
  the 
  present 
  margin 
  of 
  the 
  lake 
  is 
  a 
  narrow 
  strip 
  

   of 
  level 
  meadow-land 
  ; 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  quite 
  evident 
  that 
  the 
  level 
  of 
  the 
  lake 
  has 
  gradu- 
  

   ally 
  been 
  lowered, 
  so 
  that 
  this 
  ridge 
  is 
  one 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  true 
  basin. 
  

  

  T 
  The 
  rocks 
  just 
  in 
  this 
  part 
  have 
  been 
  much 
  affected 
  by 
  subsequent 
  

   weathering, 
  which 
  has 
  to 
  a 
  considerable 
  extent 
  obliterated 
  the 
  glacial 
  contours. 
  

   The 
  evidence 
  on 
  the 
  whole 
  seemed 
  more 
  favourable 
  than 
  opposed 
  to 
  an 
  over- 
  

   lapping. 
  

  

  