THE SCENERY OF SWITZERLAND. 215 
THE SCENERY OF SWITZERLAND.* 
Sir John Lubbock is a man of many occupations and attainments, and to 
the members of the Selborne Society is as well known for his numerous contribu- 
tions towards the popularization of Natural Science as for the important post 
which he fills as its President. In his recently published volume he has pre- 
sented us with an interesting discussion of an attractive subject. We all have an 
intense admiration for the grandeur of the Alps, but few of us who take our 
pastime therein bestow a thought upon the way in which the mountains came 
into being and were hewn into their present shapes ; how the lakes were formed, 
and why the rivers took their present courses. We are too apt to take it all for 
granted, and, by our lack of appreciation, to allow a rich series of object-lessons 
in physical geography and geology to be passed over unnoticed. 
It is here that Sir John Lubbock comes to our aid, and, assuming the part of 
guide, philosopher, and friend, opens our eyes to the splendid opportunities which 
we have neglected. He has digested a mass of native and foreign literature 
bearing upon the subject, and given us the mature opinions of the most competent 
authorities. He has spent much time in travelling up and down the land 
observing the facts for himself and pondering over the many problems presented, 
thus qualifying himself for the task of laying the whole matter before the British 
public. The results of his work are given to us in a book which is adapted for a 
wide class of readers. 
The earlier chapters are concerned with a general discussion of the main 
features of the country, and of the work accomplished by the forces of nature, 
with a copious citation of alpine examples of the phenomena under consideration. 
Thus we learn the origin and history of mountain, valley, and lake ; we read of 
rivers, glaciers and their work, and a host of allied matters. Of the later 
chapters each treats of a special district, e.g., the Jura, the Bernese Oberland, 
the Engadine ; and these will be of great use to tourists who seek to interpret 
the meaning of the geological features of the districts in question. The final 
chapter sums up the geological history of Switzerland, which, in brief, is that the 
Alps are due to the shrinkage of the earth and the consequent wrinkling of its 
crust ; that their origin was recent — not older than that of our London clay ; that 
they probably occupy the site of a far more ancient range ; that their river 
system appears to have undergone some astonishing changes, e.g., at one 
time the Rhone and the Rhine drained into the Danube, and so into the 
Black Sea ; later on they found a northward exit, vid. Basle, and, joining the 
Thames, flowed out between Scotland and Norway, and finally the Rhone, 
carving its way westwards into the Saone, established its present course to the 
Mediterranean. The lakes arose from a variety of causes, but the origin of the 
larger lakes is still a disputed question. 
All who would reap the full benefit of this attractive volume would do well 
to take it with them to Switzerland and study in situ the phenomena described. 
They will find much food for reflection, and will add to their travelling 
experiences a new and unfailing source of interest. The book is well printed 
and contains 154 illustrations, many of which show us the extremely rough 
handling that the Alps have undergone. At the end will be found a biblio- 
graphical appendix and a useful coloured map, but the want of an index is a 
serious inconvenience to the reader. For when you have become interested in the 
book owing to the attractive manner in which the subject is presented, it frequently 
happens that some passage reminds you of something similar in an earlier chapter, 
or the occurrence of some place-name recalls a previous mention of that place as 
connected with some phenomenon which you cannot call to mind. To make 
certain you turn over page after page in search of the former reference, but the 
chances are that you either entirely fail to find it, or only succeed after a long 
hunt. A. G. 
* The Scenery of Switzerland ami the Causes to which it is due. By Sir John 
Lubbock, Bart., M.P., &c, London: Macmillan & Co., 1896. Price 6s, 
