The Rev. T. G. Bonney on the Italian Valleys of Monte Rosa. 327 



3. The time of the late glaciers, the special subject of the 

 paper. 

 After expressing himself in opposition to the hypothesis of a great 

 polar ice-cap, the author described this last period as one not of 

 mere local glaciers, but as characterized by a return of a great ice- 

 sheet over nearly the whole of Scotland and Ireland ; but he stated 

 that this ice-sheet was probably neither so thick, so extensive, nor 

 so enduring as that of the first period of glaciation, which cleared 

 away every thing in the shape of superficial deposits down to the 

 hard rock. He believed, however, that in the last period the 

 mountains of Scotland and Wales, as well as the Pennine range and 

 the rest of the north of England as far as Derby, were covered with 

 thick ice, which in most parts reached down to the sea, and that 

 extensive snow-beds prevailed over the rest of England. In the 

 summer months the melting of these would give rise to streams of 

 muddy water, and produce the superficial deposits of Brick-earth, 

 Warp, and Loess ; whilst, when the currents were stronger, perhaps 

 from the thaw being unusually rapid, deposits of gravel would be 

 formed. This second ice-sheet would gradually become less and 

 break up into valley- glaciers, which in their retreat would leave 

 kaims and eskers at low levels, and moraines in the mountain- 

 glens. During this time no new great submergence of the country 

 took place ; and the last great modifications of the surface were sub- 

 aerial, and not submarine, the work having been done by frost, rain, 

 and glaciers. 



2. " Notes on the Upper Engadine and the Italian Valleys of 

 Monte Rosa, and their relation to the Glacier- erosion Theory of 

 Lake-basins." By the Rev. T. G. Bonney, M.A., F.G.S. 



The author stated that he had examined: — (1) the small lakes on 

 the summit of the Bernina Pass. These were situated in a position 

 very favourable to glacier-erosion, and, he thought, might be attributed 

 to that cause. (2) The lakes on the upper part of the Maloya Pass. 

 These lay in three rock-basins, and at first sight seemed favourable 

 to the glacier-erosion theory; but further examination showed that 

 they were in no way connected with the glacial system of the neigh- 

 bourhood, and were probably preglacial. (3) The Yal Bregaglia to 

 the Lake of Como. The presence of barriers in the valley, its fre- 

 quent V-like form, and the signs of glacial action to near the 

 present level of the stream, seemed to indicate that the glacier had 

 had but slight erosive power. (4) The Como arm of the lake. 

 It was shown that the glacier which was supposed to have excavated 

 the lake had passed over the ridge of Nagelfluhe and Molasse that 

 encloses it, and had not been able to grind away its remarkably 

 sharp crest. (5) Similar evidence was produced with regard to the 

 Lake of Orta. (6) The Italian valleys E. of Monte Rosa. These were 

 shown to offer difficulties precisely similar to those of the Val Bre- 

 gaglia. The author therefore argued that these cases showed how 

 superficial the action of the glaciers had been, and that they must 

 have been wholly inadequate to excavate the greater lake-basins, 



