﻿yb 
  PBOr. 
  T. 
  &. 
  BOXXEY 
  OX 
  TWO 
  TRAVERSES 
  OF 
  THE 
  

  

  that 
  the 
  second 
  series 
  in 
  several 
  places 
  is 
  very 
  imperfectly 
  repre- 
  

   sented, 
  and 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  great 
  break 
  at 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  first, 
  and 
  

   this 
  accords 
  with 
  what 
  may 
  be 
  observed 
  in 
  the 
  field. 
  

  

  These 
  conclusions, 
  as 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  from 
  the 
  former 
  part 
  of 
  this 
  

   paper, 
  and 
  from 
  my 
  remarks 
  in 
  1SS6, 
  may 
  be 
  extended 
  to 
  the 
  whole 
  

   Alpine 
  chain. 
  

  

  In 
  many 
  parts 
  of 
  Switzerland, 
  especially 
  in 
  the 
  Pennine 
  and 
  

   Lepontine 
  Alps 
  and 
  in 
  Xorthern 
  Italy, 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  micaceous, 
  calca- 
  

   reous, 
  and 
  cnloritic 
  schists 
  occurs, 
  which 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  highest 
  

   amongst 
  the 
  ; 
  *' 
  slaty 
  crystallines," 
  which 
  is 
  lithologically 
  identical 
  

   with 
  those 
  described 
  in 
  this 
  paper, 
  and 
  is 
  assigned 
  to 
  a 
  like 
  stratigra- 
  

   phical 
  position. 
  It 
  is 
  true 
  that 
  the 
  " 
  ThongUmmerschiefer 
  " 
  group 
  of 
  

   the 
  Tyrol 
  is 
  parted 
  from 
  the 
  similar 
  rocks 
  of 
  the 
  Lepontine 
  Alps 
  by 
  

   a 
  great 
  group 
  of 
  rock 
  called 
  the 
  " 
  Biindnerschiefer" 
  which 
  some 
  ex- 
  

   cellent 
  geologists 
  have 
  referred 
  to 
  the 
  Trias. 
  These 
  also 
  I 
  know, 
  and 
  

   while 
  I 
  will 
  not 
  deny 
  that 
  Triassic 
  or 
  even 
  Palaeozoic 
  rocks 
  may 
  be 
  

   infolded 
  with 
  them, 
  I 
  see 
  no 
  possibility 
  of 
  distinguishing 
  the 
  domi- 
  

   nant 
  members 
  from 
  those 
  just 
  mentioned, 
  and 
  no 
  probability 
  of 
  their 
  

   being 
  of 
  ATesozoic 
  age. 
  I 
  am 
  fairly 
  well 
  acquainted 
  with 
  rocks 
  in- 
  

   dubitably 
  ALesozoic, 
  both 
  in 
  Eastern 
  Switzerland 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  Southern 
  

   and 
  Xorthern 
  Tyrol. 
  Generally 
  calcareous, 
  argillaceous 
  bands 
  are 
  

   occasionally 
  intercalated. 
  These 
  are 
  never, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  I 
  have 
  seen, 
  

   more 
  than 
  slates, 
  while 
  the 
  dominant 
  limestones 
  and 
  dolomites 
  are 
  

   microscopically 
  and 
  macroscopically 
  different 
  from 
  those 
  associated 
  

   with 
  the 
  upper 
  schists. 
  I 
  have 
  therefore 
  no 
  doubt 
  that 
  the 
  Swiss 
  

   geologists 
  are 
  quite 
  right 
  who 
  regard 
  the 
  i: 
  Bilndnerscliufer 
  " 
  as 
  a 
  con- 
  

   tinuation 
  of 
  the 
  upper 
  schist 
  (" 
  Thonglimriurscliiefer^ 
  series) 
  of 
  the 
  

   Tyrol 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  upper 
  schist 
  of 
  the 
  Central 
  Alps. 
  Again, 
  the 
  

   schists 
  of 
  the 
  south-western 
  Alps 
  (above 
  described), 
  called 
  by 
  some 
  

   authors 
  scliistes 
  lustrees, 
  have 
  also 
  been 
  referred, 
  though 
  dubiously, 
  

   to 
  the 
  Trias. 
  Here, 
  again, 
  while 
  I 
  think 
  it 
  very 
  possible 
  that 
  rocks 
  

   of 
  later 
  date, 
  especially 
  of 
  Carboniferous 
  age, 
  may 
  be 
  infolded, 
  I 
  can 
  

   find 
  no 
  evidence 
  in 
  favour 
  of, 
  and 
  much 
  against, 
  regarding 
  the 
  whole 
  

   series 
  as 
  Trias 
  or 
  even 
  as 
  Carboniferous. 
  This 
  group, 
  in 
  the 
  

   Western 
  Alps, 
  can 
  be 
  traced 
  almost 
  without 
  a 
  break 
  into 
  the 
  " 
  Upper 
  

   Schists 
  " 
  of 
  the 
  Central 
  Alps. 
  I 
  have 
  again 
  and 
  again 
  wandered 
  

   over 
  the 
  Alpine 
  region, 
  and 
  examined 
  specimens 
  from 
  Monte 
  Yiso 
  

   to 
  the 
  Gross 
  Glockner, 
  and 
  find 
  that 
  the 
  rocks, 
  which 
  appear 
  from 
  

   stratigraphical 
  considerations 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  uppermost 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  

   crystalline 
  series, 
  possess 
  characteristics 
  in 
  common, 
  as 
  above 
  de- 
  

   fined, 
  and 
  can 
  be 
  readily 
  recognized 
  as 
  a 
  distinct 
  and 
  well-marked 
  

   group. 
  

  

  These 
  are 
  commonly 
  succeeded, 
  in 
  descending 
  order, 
  by 
  a 
  great 
  

   group 
  of 
  mica- 
  schists 
  and 
  fine-grained 
  gneisses, 
  of 
  which 
  we 
  may 
  

   take 
  the 
  Lepontine 
  gneiss 
  for 
  a 
  type. 
  These 
  rocks 
  are 
  more 
  coarsely 
  

   crystalline 
  than 
  the 
  others. 
  The 
  mica-flakes 
  in 
  the 
  schists 
  are 
  

   larger, 
  the 
  limestones 
  more 
  coarsely 
  crystalline. 
  Sometimes, 
  as 
  on 
  

   the 
  south 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  St.-Gothard 
  axis, 
  it 
  is 
  difficult 
  to 
  draw 
  a 
  line 
  

   between 
  this 
  group 
  and 
  the 
  last 
  described 
  ; 
  but 
  generally 
  there 
  seems 
  

   to 
  be 
  a 
  marked 
  break, 
  and 
  occasionally 
  the 
  former 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  

  

  