valley beneath, you think with sadness 
of the ambitions and perils of the sturdy 
climbers who have at last fallen victims 
to this most trying of Alpine ascents. 
The sight of those dazzling peaks and 
mountain tops seem to incite men to fool- 
hardy feats. They seek to rise to nature's 
heights and attempt the almost impossi- 
ble, with what dire re.«ults simple grave 
stones in the shadow of that quiet church 
forcibly tell. The Griinsel pass leads 
over the mountains to the north of the 
Khone valley. High up the mountains, 
in the midst of ice and snow in Jul.y, and 
on the border of a desolate and deserted 
looking little lake is a "Hospice" of a 
band of monks, .^imiliu- to that of St. 
Bernard, so celebrated on account of its 
dogS. Plei e we partook of the hospital- 
ity so freely olt'ereil by the ■'brotherhood" 
for whicii we jiay in contributions for 
charity. Thence we continue our trip 
down the valley on !he north, on our way 
to that gem of Swiss cities. Ijucerne, on 
the borders of the lake of that name. 
From here we take a boat for a mountain 
noted for its unparalleled views, the liigi. 
On two spurs of its summit we find two 
■•hotels"or"'tourist traps" called the"Rigi 
Ivulm" and '-Rigi Sclieideck."' It is in 
these tliat j ou are aroused at an unseemly 
hour of the morning by the sound of the 
Alijine horn or similar torture, and rush 
out in a costume of bl;u)kets or other 
bed room fui niture within grasp, to wit- 
ness a gorgeous mountain suiu-ise or a 
condensed bank of clouds; more often the 
latter. The "Rigi Scheideck" b;is also 
the additional attraction. 1 was told, of 
•'wine or milk baths." "We did not in- 
dulge in or dally with these cxhilii-atiiig 
amusements. .Inst about this»time we 
wei-e taking our milk and wine in small- 
er quantities and in a different and less 
expensive way. ^^'e would like to men- 
tion also, the baths in the midst of the 
"Gemmi Pass" called ''Lenkabad," where 
•■cranks" and a few others soak them- 
selves for hours at a time in water hot 
from the ground. But we must leave 
these, as well as the chapel of William 
Tell and otlim- interesting points, a 
glimpse at tlie subject of '"lake d\\ ellers" 
in the very early life of the country ; at 
the peculiarities of land lioldings educa- 
tion and other phases of national exist- 
ance, to some future time. 
Switzerland in its government as w ell 
as its scenery is of peculiar interest to 
Americans. In its laws and customs it 
is more nearly like the United States 
than any Eurojjean nation. In its rocky 
fastnesses all Europe has been unable to 
awe it or subdue it. The spirit of freedom 
dwells in its mountains and its people, 
and in everything in fact, particularly in 
the amount of its charges to tourists. The 
spirit of extortion is the only drawback 
to the fair fame of a sturdy and grand 
republic. 
Francis A. I>eacti. 
Subscribe for TiiK Naiukalist, vol. 
IV, only thirty cents. 
ForTuE Natukalist. 
Palaeoiitoltigical Discoveries In and 
Near Kansas t'ity, Mo. 
By David H. Todd. 
To the student of natural history 
whose miiul turns to the study of Rocks, 
no lield. with perhaps one or two excep- 
tions, presents a greater varietj' of fossils. 
Surroimded as we are, with such a vari- 
ety of rock and shale, the Palaeontologist 
is never at a loss to know where to spend 
his time looking for something to add to 
his and other collections. Our fossils 
are known all over the world, and there 
is scarcely any collection of note but has 
some representative from Kansas City. 
Here the many families characteristic of 
the coal measure are represented, and 
every now and then the collector is star- 
tled by the announcement of something 
new, or some of the already known spec- 
imens found in a new locality. The ex- 
act nuiidjer of species so far discovered 
caiuiot be fully detei-mined. owin^ to the 
fact that there has been so little organi- 
zation of any kind on the pai-t of our 
local scientists. Before giving an out- 
line of the species found here, J desre to 
say a few words of some of tlie early 
collectors. The first, and one to w horn 
much credit should be given, especially 
by the Kansas City collectois, is Mr.Wm. 
H. It. Lykins. For more than forty (40) 
years IMr. Lykins has spent his spare 
lime in the tield, and in tliat time has 
made two collections; the first w.is de- 
stroyed during the Lawrence raid t\in\ 
massacre by Quantrell. Mr. Lj kins lias 
written a luunber of very import;mt sci- 
entific articles, and a few years ago he 
compiled a list of Kansas City fossils 
which was published in the Scientific 
Review* For tlie last few yeai> Jlr. Ly- 
kins has been conliiied to his home and 
the Kan-as City collectors have lost a 
congenial companion and friend in tield 
work. Yet he is spared; and at his home 
the scientist is always greeted with the 
same friendly spirit as of old. 
About 1S70 Mr.Wm. H. Keed began 
cracking rock in Kansas City and made 
a tine collection. Of late Mr. Keed s in- 
terests have been so great as to prevent 
him from work In this direction. 
About this time Mr. A. \'. Childs began 
collecting, and for a few years was deep- 
ly enthused. 
A few years later jMr. Sid. J. Hare en- 
tered on the scene ol action, a boy of ten 
years. From that time to the present he 
has been an indefatigable collector. In 
that time ISIr. Hare has ujtide two collec- 
tions. The first was sold to IMr-. W. E. 
Winner of Kansas (;;ity. The second 
will surpass the first. 
In 1876 Mr. Parish came to Kansas City 
and made a valuable collection which 
was sold to the Lawrence University of 
Kansas. 
About the same time the Rev. Dr. Ben- 
net of Kansas City, Kansas, entered the 
field and has energetically persued the 
* No longer publislieU. 
Study of our rocks. Mr. Bennett, beside 
making np his own collection, is also 
making two collections for church 
schools of the Episcopal denomination. 
Judge AV'est made a valuable collec- 
tion for the old Kansas City Academy of 
Science. For the past six years he has 
given his entire time to collecting for 
the Lawrence University ; and the credit 
for the museum of the University is due 
largely to his field work. 
A number of lesser lights also appeared 
and passed from the scene of action. 
AVithin the last few years Kansas City 
has received valuable acquisitions of 
scientists in the persons of Mr. E. Butts, 
who, beside his geological collection, has 
one of the largest archaeological collec- 
tions in the west; Mr. E. T. Keim, who 
spent thirty years in the Galena lime- 
stone district of Dubuque, Iowa; Freder- 
ick Mcintosh, E. Boyd Smith, Chas. 
Dawson, Edwin Walters. R. B. Trouslot 
and many others, all deeply interested 
and enthusiastic in the put suit of science. 
Situated as we are in the centie of the 
upper coal measure region, surrounded 
by massive bluffs with varying stratifica- 
tion of different rocks; the student stops 
and wonders at the great and Wise Crea- 
tion by the Giver of all Good Gifts, and, 
as he pauses, his mind penetrates the 
rugged scene before him. Here the mas- 
sive blue and while limestone, the Oolite 
and different laj'ers of shale greet his 
eyes. He looks in wonder and astonish- 
ment, and armed with chisel and liammer 
he begins to open up the hidden pages of 
past ages. In our next we v/ill tell you 
what he finds. 
[Tu Ije continued,] 
Missouri's (ileological Survey. 
From the 'i'opeka Copital. 
Missouri, by means of a Geological 
survey of the state, which is about to be 
made, will attract attention to her sub- 
terranean wealth. There is no question 
that our neighbor has abundance of min- 
erals, and of great value, easily accessi- 
ble. Her timber lands are all extensive 
and valuable. If it were not for politics 
Missouri to-day \vould be one of the fore- 
most, instead of the most backward of 
the states. Missouri Democrac.3' has 
been a Jonah. If the state would once 
go Republican, a tremendous boom 
would follow^ 
'TiiR Naturalist is a non-partisan 
publication and inserts the above item, 
not to endorse the sentiment, but to call 
attention to the fact that the work of the 
Survey is actually in progress at many 
points throughout the state, and from 
personal knowledge, feel justified in pre- 
dicting important results, both economic 
and scientific, under the able direction of 
State Geologist. Prof. Arthur Winslow. 
Fine Jack Rabbits for mounting, 
packed in ice, at $1.00 each.— Box 69, 
Kansas City, Mo. 
