I 5° SCENERY OF SWITZERLAND. 
that at Chamouni, in the valley of the Aar, and else- 
where, the higher rocks were angular and pointed, 
while the sides of the valley below were rounded 
and smooth, but he did not suggest any explanation. 
Hugi observed the same fact, and attributed it to a 
difference in the character of the rocks.” Desor,* 
however, in 1841 ascended the Juchliberg, where the 
contrast is well marked, and satisfied himself that 
the Gianite was absolutely the same. He observed, 
moreover, that on the smooth Granite, especially on 
the upper part, were many blocks of Gneiss, brought 
from the Mieselen and the Ewigschneehorn. These 
blocks could only have been brought by glaciers, and 
he concluded, therefore, that the smooth polished sur- 
faces were due to the action of the glacier, and that 
the rough, angular upper parts were those which had 
stood above the level of the ice. 
Such polished surfaces are by no means confined 
to the Alpine valleys. Where suitable rocks occur, 
they are found throughout the central plain and on 
the Jura, when they are often very well developed, 
and known locally as Laves. The upper level of the 
rounded rocks falls with the valley. 
On the shores of Norway and Sweden such 
glaciated surfaces can even be traced under the sea, 
* Desor, Gebirgsbau. 
