﻿66 
  /Scientific 
  Intelligence. 
  

  

  Scandinavia. 
  In 
  the 
  Alps 
  the 
  fifth 
  glacial 
  epoch 
  is 
  marked 
  by 
  

   the 
  moraines 
  of 
  the 
  so-called 
  " 
  second 
  postglacial 
  stage 
  " 
  — 
  moraines 
  

   that 
  indicate 
  a 
  renewed 
  advance 
  of 
  the 
  glaciers 
  of 
  that 
  region. 
  

  

  XL 
  Fifth 
  Interglacial 
  Epoch. 
  — 
  This 
  epoch 
  was 
  heralded 
  by 
  

   the 
  re-emergence 
  of 
  the 
  land 
  and 
  the 
  retreat 
  of 
  our 
  valley-glaciers. 
  

   Again 
  the 
  British 
  area 
  attained 
  a 
  wider 
  extent 
  than 
  at 
  present, 
  

   but 
  we 
  cannot 
  tell 
  whether 
  it 
  became 
  united 
  to 
  the 
  Continent. 
  

   The 
  upper 
  " 
  buried 
  forests 
  " 
  in 
  the 
  peat-bogs 
  of 
  Northwest 
  

   Europe 
  show 
  that 
  this 
  epoch 
  was 
  characterized 
  by 
  drier 
  condi- 
  

   tions 
  and 
  a 
  remarkable 
  recrudescence 
  of 
  forest-growth 
  — 
  condi- 
  

   tions 
  recalling 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  preceding 
  interglacial 
  epoch. 
  

  

  XII. 
  Sixth 
  Glacial 
  Epoch. 
  — 
  To 
  this 
  epoch 
  belong 
  our 
  latest 
  

   raised-beaches, 
  which 
  indicate 
  a 
  limited 
  submergence 
  not 
  exceed- 
  

   ing, 
  in 
  Scotland, 
  twenty 
  to 
  thirty 
  feet. 
  The 
  climate 
  once 
  more 
  

   became 
  humid 
  and 
  less 
  favorable 
  to 
  forest-growth. 
  Hence 
  for- 
  

   ests 
  decayed 
  while 
  peat-bogs 
  extended 
  their 
  area. 
  The 
  snow-line 
  

   stood 
  at 
  an 
  elevation 
  in 
  Scotland 
  of 
  3,500 
  ft. 
  — 
  and 
  thus 
  nourished 
  

   a 
  few 
  small 
  glaciers 
  in 
  our 
  loftiest 
  mountain-groups. 
  

  

  XIII. 
  The 
  Present. 
  — 
  Marked 
  in 
  Britain 
  by 
  the 
  retreat 
  of 
  the 
  

   sea 
  to 
  its 
  present 
  level, 
  and 
  by 
  the 
  return 
  of 
  milder 
  and 
  drier 
  

   conditions 
  and 
  the 
  final 
  disappearance 
  of 
  permanent 
  snow-fields. 
  

  

  It 
  will 
  be 
  observed 
  that 
  in 
  this 
  short 
  resume 
  I 
  have 
  abstained 
  

   from 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  term 
  " 
  postglacial." 
  The 
  word 
  has 
  been 
  ap- 
  

   plied 
  to 
  deposits 
  of 
  such 
  widely 
  different 
  ages 
  that 
  it 
  has 
  ceased 
  

   to 
  be 
  of 
  any 
  value 
  for 
  classificatory 
  purposes. 
  From 
  late 
  Plio- 
  

   cene 
  down 
  to 
  the 
  close 
  of 
  the 
  Pleistocene 
  time 
  we 
  have 
  the 
  record 
  

   of 
  a 
  continuous 
  series 
  of 
  geographical 
  and 
  climatic 
  changes. 
  

   Early 
  in 
  the 
  cycle 
  the 
  glacial 
  and 
  interglacial 
  phases 
  attained 
  

   their 
  extreme 
  development. 
  The 
  climax 
  once 
  passed, 
  each 
  suc- 
  

   cessive 
  cold 
  and 
  genial 
  epoch 
  declined 
  in 
  importance. 
  In 
  a 
  word, 
  

   the 
  climatic 
  and 
  geographical 
  changes 
  became 
  less 
  and 
  less 
  

   marked 
  as 
  the 
  cycle 
  drew 
  to 
  a 
  close. 
  From 
  the 
  point 
  of 
  view 
  of 
  

   the 
  present 
  it 
  seems 
  absurd 
  to 
  speak 
  of 
  " 
  fifth 
  " 
  and 
  " 
  sixth 
  " 
  gla- 
  

   cial 
  epochs, 
  seeing 
  that 
  these 
  epochs 
  were 
  marked 
  only 
  by 
  the 
  

   presence 
  in 
  Britain 
  of 
  limited 
  snow-fields 
  and 
  small 
  local 
  glaciers. 
  

   When 
  either 
  of 
  these 
  epochs 
  is 
  contrasted 
  with 
  the 
  conditions 
  

   that 
  obtained 
  in 
  early 
  glacial 
  times 
  they 
  would 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  more 
  

   properly 
  described 
  as 
  temperate 
  epochs. 
  But 
  they 
  undoubtedly 
  

   belong 
  to 
  one 
  and 
  the 
  same 
  series 
  of 
  alternating 
  cold 
  and 
  genial 
  

   conditions, 
  and 
  from 
  this 
  larger 
  point 
  of 
  view 
  cannot 
  be 
  desig- 
  

   nated 
  otherwise 
  than 
  glacial. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  following 
  tabular 
  statements 
  the 
  glacial 
  and 
  interglacial 
  

   succession 
  is 
  given 
  in 
  ascending 
  order, 
  beginning 
  with 
  the 
  lowest 
  

   beds 
  — 
  the 
  successive 
  stages 
  being 
  indicated 
  in 
  the 
  several 
  tables 
  

   by 
  the 
  same 
  numbers. 
  

  

  