A TRIP TO EGYPT.* 
FEBRUARY and MARCH, 1892. 
BY W. H. WILKINSON, F.L.S., F.R.M.S. 
PRESIDENT OF THE BIRMINGHAM NATURAL HISTORY AND MICROSCOPICAL SOCIETY. 
The route chosen implied the novel experience of crossing 
Europe in mid-winter. 
To give a general idea of this we will just mention resting 
places at which we broke the journey. After crossing the English 
Channel and starting from Calais, the first night was spent in the 
train, by no means an enviable experience. The next morning 
Basle was visited, and a fine view of the grand old river Rhine 
was obtained from some of its lofty bridges. 
At Lucerne the frost was intense, but the atmosphere clear and 
bright, a cloudless blue sky, the sun bringing out the sharp outline 
of the snow-covered Alps, contrasting beautifully with the vivid blue 
of the calm waters of the lake beneath. The well-known, quaint, 
covered bridge was whitened by a slight coat of snow, and a fringe 
of icicles about six inches long, hanging on either side of the roof, 
sparkled like silvery lace in the bright sunbeams. On leaving here 
the train commenced the ascent of the Alps, affording most charming 
views of the lake below and the snow mountains above ; some of the 
slopes of which were covered by pine forests, and the outlines of 
the trees were brought out in a charming silver-grey tone, caused 
by the admixture of the snow and the dark green of their 
foliage. 
When at an elevation of about 1,000 feet above the lake we had 
an opportunity of witnessing the formation of cloud, caused by the 
warm rays of the sun evaporating the snow into vapour, which 
was immediately turned into white fleecy cloud by a current of cold 
wind crossing the upper ridge of the mountain. The icicles, which 
on starting were six inches long,‘constantly increased in size as we 
ascended, until they reached the enormous length of six feet, and 
the railway station near was covered two feet deep in snow. 
* Read before the Birmingham Natural History and Microscopical 
Society, December 18th, 1892. 
April, 1893. 
