﻿122 
  II. 
  R. 
  Mill 
  — 
  Glacial 
  Land-Forms 
  of 
  the 
  Alps. 
  

  

  fering 
  in 
  a 
  marked 
  degree 
  from 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  last. 
  Unfortu- 
  

   nately, 
  the 
  weather 
  was 
  throughout 
  unsatisfactory 
  for 
  pho- 
  

   tography, 
  and 
  the 
  attempts 
  made 
  to 
  take 
  comprehensive 
  views 
  

   were 
  failures, 
  as 
  had 
  been 
  expected. 
  Some 
  fair 
  results 
  were, 
  

   however, 
  obtained 
  in 
  detailed 
  sections, 
  which 
  are 
  of 
  geological 
  

   rather 
  than 
  geographical 
  interest. 
  

  

  The 
  excursionists 
  met 
  at 
  Lugano 
  on 
  Monday, 
  September 
  17, 
  

   when 
  thirty-seven 
  members 
  assembled, 
  including 
  representa- 
  

   tives 
  of 
  Austria-Hungary, 
  Germany, 
  France, 
  Russia, 
  Norway, 
  

   Holland, 
  Switzerland, 
  Italy, 
  the 
  United 
  States, 
  England, 
  and 
  

   Scotland. 
  The 
  weather 
  was 
  hopelessly 
  wet, 
  the 
  one 
  interest- 
  

   ing 
  result 
  of 
  which 
  was 
  to 
  throw 
  into 
  the 
  shade 
  the 
  distinguish- 
  

   ing 
  peculiarities 
  of 
  the 
  Italian 
  lakes, 
  and 
  reveal 
  the 
  essential 
  

   similarity 
  of 
  their 
  scenery 
  to 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  English 
  lakes 
  and 
  

   Scottish 
  lochs. 
  Professor 
  Penck 
  explained, 
  and 
  in 
  some 
  cases 
  

   subsequently 
  demonstrated, 
  that 
  the 
  lower 
  ends 
  of 
  the 
  North 
  

   Italian 
  lakes 
  were 
  dammed 
  by 
  glacial 
  accumulations, 
  thus 
  rais- 
  

   ing 
  their 
  level 
  far 
  above 
  the 
  rim 
  of 
  the 
  rock-basins 
  which 
  con- 
  

   tain 
  their 
  deeper 
  water, 
  and 
  accounting 
  for 
  such 
  peculiarities 
  

   as 
  the 
  " 
  recurved 
  hook 
  " 
  of 
  Lugano. 
  

  

  A 
  somewhat 
  exciting 
  boat-trip 
  down 
  the 
  rapid 
  Ticino 
  landed 
  

   the 
  geologists 
  at 
  a 
  fine 
  section 
  where 
  the 
  river 
  had 
  cut 
  deeply 
  

   through 
  its 
  moraine 
  bar. 
  Here, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  sky 
  or 
  soil 
  or 
  vegeta- 
  

   tion 
  were 
  concerned, 
  one 
  might 
  have 
  been 
  in 
  Scotland 
  instead 
  

   of 
  Italy. 
  The 
  steep 
  bowlder-clay 
  slope, 
  grown 
  in 
  part 
  with 
  

   the 
  common 
  coltsfoot, 
  when 
  ascended, 
  led 
  to 
  a 
  level 
  moorland, 
  

   the 
  poor 
  soil 
  of 
  which 
  was 
  covered 
  with 
  heather, 
  not 
  shrubby 
  

   as 
  in 
  more 
  northern 
  latitude, 
  but 
  composed 
  of 
  long 
  separate 
  

   flower-stems 
  with 
  exceptionally 
  large 
  heads 
  of 
  blossom. 
  In 
  

   the 
  distance 
  sombre 
  pine 
  woods 
  crowned 
  the 
  hillocks, 
  but 
  at 
  a 
  

   turn 
  of 
  the 
  path 
  maize 
  and 
  sorghum 
  were 
  found 
  as 
  common 
  

   field-crops, 
  and 
  the 
  similarity 
  to 
  northern 
  lands 
  disappeared. 
  

  

  On 
  Monday 
  evening 
  the 
  party 
  reached 
  Ivrea 
  by 
  steam 
  tram- 
  

   way 
  from 
  Santhia, 
  and 
  the 
  whole 
  of 
  Tuesday 
  was 
  occupied 
  in 
  

   seeing, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  mist 
  would 
  allow, 
  the 
  vast 
  glacial 
  amphi- 
  

   theater 
  which 
  surrounds 
  the 
  town, 
  and 
  in 
  crossing 
  the 
  steep 
  

   ridge 
  of 
  the 
  Serra 
  and 
  the 
  ferretto-covered 
  slopes 
  of 
  moorland 
  

   which 
  succeed 
  it 
  to 
  Biella, 
  whence 
  Milan 
  was 
  reached 
  not 
  long 
  

   before 
  midnight. 
  

  

  The 
  morainic 
  amphitheater 
  is 
  both 
  the 
  largest 
  and 
  most 
  typ- 
  

   ical 
  of 
  the 
  southern 
  slopes 
  of 
  the 
  Alps. 
  Two 
  ramparts 
  of 
  

   moraine 
  material 
  diverge 
  nearly 
  at 
  right 
  angles 
  from 
  the 
  mouth 
  

   of 
  the 
  narrow 
  valley 
  of 
  the 
  Dora 
  Baltea, 
  gradually 
  diminish- 
  

   ing 
  in 
  height, 
  and 
  these 
  are 
  finally 
  united 
  by 
  an 
  arc 
  of 
  

   moraines 
  convex 
  to 
  the 
  south, 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  whole 
  completely 
  

   surrounds 
  a 
  central 
  plain, 
  the 
  two 
  little 
  lakes 
  occupying 
  the 
  

   center 
  of 
  which 
  overflow 
  by 
  the 
  Doire, 
  which 
  cuts 
  across 
  the 
  

  

  