in the Lochaber shelves might not be a serious difficulty, it was hard to understand why such shells should not be found in many localities had the whole country been submerged to the height of the highest Glen Roy "road." Then no satisfactory explanation on the marine theory had ever been given of the coincidence of the terraces with well-marked cols; while a further formidable objection to this theory lay in the nature and distribution of the detritus of the shelves, which, in his opinion, was very unlike material arranged in a tidal sea, but was quite what might be looked for in a freshwater lake. He thought that the author's present paper lessened some of the difficulties of the glacier theory by simplifying the grouping of the icedams. There still remained the objection that if the Great Glen and the valleys round Ben Nevis were choked up with ice, Glen Roy and its neighbours could hardly have been filled with water. But this difficulty, which every glacialist must have felt, was probably more formidable in appearance than in reality. As Mr. Marr had pointed out, conditions did actually now exist in Greenland very similar to those which, according to the theory so ably expounded by the author, formerly existed in Lochaber.

Royal Meteorological Society, November 18.-Mr. Baldwin Latham, President, in the chair.-Mr. R. H. Scott, F.R.S., gave an account of the proceedings of the International Meteorological Conference, which was held at Munich from August 26 to September 2.—The following papers were also read:-Account of an electric self-recording rain-gauge, by Mr. W. J. E. Binnie. This is a very ingenious instrument, and has been constructed on the assumption that all drops falling from an orifice, or tube are identical in weight, as long as the dimensions of the orifice are not varied. On wet and dry bulb formulæ, by Prof. J. D. Everett, F.R.S. This is a criticism of the methods investigated some years ago by M. August and Dr. Apjohn for determining, by calculation, the maximum vapour tension for the dew point from the temperatures of the dry and wet bulb. Prof. Everett also criticizes the values adopted by Regnault, and says that, in presence of the uncertainty as to a rational formula, he thinks Mr. Glaisher did wisely in constructing his table of factors, which give the dew point approximately by the most direct calculation which is admissible. The inherent difficulties of hygrometric observation and deduction are great, and have not yet been fully overcome.-Results of meteorological observations made at Akassa, Niger Territories, May 1889 to December 1890, by Mr. F. Russell, F. R. G.S. This is in continuation of a former communication respecting the same place. After detailing the results of the various observations, the author says that this period was very unhealthy, and the year 1890 especially so. The weather was exceptionally dry, with small-pox and phthsis amongst the native population. The West Coast reports generally were also unfavourable in reference to the condition of resident Europeans, and at the principal ports quarantine regulations were put in force consequent upon an outbreak of yellow fever in places situated to the south-west. At Bonny ten deaths occurred from November to February out of a population of some sixteen Europeans.

SYDNEY.

Royal Society of New South Wales, September 2.-H. C. Russell, F.R.S., President, in the chair.-The following papers were read:-On a wave-propelled vessel, by Lawrence Hargrave.-Notes on a spontaneous disease among Australian rabbits, by M. Adrien Loir.-Notes on recent celestial photographs, by H. C. Russell, F. R. S.-Some folk-songs and myths from Samoa, by Rev. G. Pratt and Dr. John Fraser.-A quick filter without the aid of pumps was exhibited and described by

W. M. Hamlet.

October 7.-H. C. Russell, F. R. S., President, in the chair. -The following papers were read :-Notes on the use, construction, and cost of service reservoirs, by C. W. Darley.-Dr. Fraser presented some myths and historical records from Samoa. The myths had reference to an ancient practice of offering every day a human sacrifice to the sun, and to a chief called "Malietoa the Fierce," and showed how that was stopped. The histories were chiefly genealogies of the kings of Manu'a.

PARIS.

Academy of Sciences, November 16.-M. Duchartre in the chair. On the secular acceleration of the moon and the variability of the sidereal day, by M. F. Tisserand. From the author's

|

investigation it seems that the increase in the length of the day produced by tidal action is almost the same in amount as the decrease resulting from the secular contraction of the earth due to its cooling, so the length of the sidereal day remains practically invariable. —On the research on the number of roots common to several simultaneous equations, by M. Emile Picard.-On the law of intensity of light emitted by phosphorescent bodies, by M. Henri Becquerel. A correction to a formula given in a previous paper. -The heat of formation of hydrazine and of hydrazoic acid, by MM. Berthelot and Matignon. Hydrazine(1) Heat of solution of hydrazine sulphate at 106 is - 8.70 cal. per molecule. (2) Heat of neutralization : (a) by sulphuric acid 555 cal. per equivalent; () by hydrochloric acid + 52 cal. per equivalent. Hydrazine is therefore a weak base comparable to ferric oxide. (3) Heat of combustion of Imol. crystallized hydrazine sulphate = +1277 cal. (4) Heat of formation NH, = - 4'75 cal. Hydrazoic acid-(1) Heat of solution of ammonium salt, = - 708 cal. per mol. (2) Heat of neutralization : (a) by baryta water 100 cal.; (b) by ammonia +82 cal. Hydrazoic acid, dilute, is comparable to amidobenzoic acid, superior to hyponitrous acid. (3) Heat of combustion of the am. salt + 1638 cal. per mol. at constant volume, and 163'3 cal. at constant pressure, by explosion in compressed oxygen. (4) Heat of formation of am. salt: (a) crystallized 25 3 cal. ; (b) in solution Heat of 32.3 cal. formation of the free acid in dilute solution == 616 cal.-Oxidation of nickel carbonyl, by M. Berthelot. (See Notes.)Tables of Vesta, by M. G. Leveau. A comparison of the meridian observations made of the minor planet Vesta, from January to April 1890, with positions given in the Nautical Almanac, and in an ephemeris computed by means of M. Leveau's tables of this planet. The tables are founded on 5000 meridian observations made between 1807 and 1888, and the masses taken for Jupiter and Mars, respectively, are 1/1045 63 and 1/3,648,000. The mean differences of position are greater in the Nautical Almanac than in M. Leveau's ephemeris, both in right ascension and declination.-On secular variations of eccentricities and in

BERLIN.

Physiological Society, October 30.-Prof. du Bois-Reymond, President, in the chair.-Prof. Gad reported on experiments, conducted under his direction by Dr. Schtscherbak, on the alteration of the movements of eating in rabbits which result from removal of certain parts of the cerebrum.

Meteorological Society, November 3.-Prof. Schwalbe, President, in the chair.-Dr. Zenker spoke on the relationship of solar radiation, as it would really occur if the sun were directly overhead and there were no atmosphere, to the actually existing and observed temperatures of stations, taking into ac count their proximity to oceans and continents.-Prof. Hellmann made a short communication on the recent experiments in America on the artificial production of rain.

Physical Society, November 6.-Prof. du Bois-Reymond, President, in the chair.-Dr. Raps explained certain modifica. tions which he had introduced into his automatic mercurial air-pumps, and de nonstrated the action of the pump on a Geissler tube, which he rapidly exhausted so completely that a phosphorescent light made its appearance in it.—The President made some remarks on photographs of the human retina.Prof. Kundt described Dr. Zehnder's new and simple differentialrefractor, an instrument by means of which the two rays destined to produce interference may be kept some 50 to 100 cm. apart, and be subjected separately to varying experimental conditions.

LONDON INSTITUTION, at 6.-The Tower of Babel and Confusion O Tongues (Illustrated): Theo. G. Pinches.

CAMERA CLUB, at 8.30.-On Toning Bromide Paper and Transparencie (with Demonstration and Illustrations): A. R. Dresser.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4.

PHYSICAL SOCIETY, at 5.-On a Permanent Magnetic Field: W. Hibbert.
-Note on the Production of Rotatory Currents: Prof. Ayrton, F.R.S.
GEOLOGISTS ASSOCIATION, at 8.-Supplementary Observations on some
Fossil Fishes from the English Lower Oolites: Arthur Smith Woodward.
-Organic Matter as a Geological Agent: Rev. A. Irving.
INSTITUTION OF CIVIL ENGINEERS, at 2.-Students' Visit to inspect the
New Refrigerating Plant at Nels on's Wharf, Commercial Road, Lambeth.
CAMERA CLUB, at 8.-Retouching: Redmond Barrett.

DIARY OF SOCIETIES.

LONDON.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26.

ROYAL SOCIETY, at 4.30.-On Instability of Periodic Motion: Sir William
Thomson, Pres. R.S.-A New Mode of Respiration in the Myriapoda: F.
¦ G. Sinclair.-Further Observations on the Gestation of Indian Rays: J.
Wood-Mason and A. Alcock.-On some Variations observed in the
Rabbit's Liver under certain Physiological and Pathological Circum-
stances: Dr. Brunton, F.R S., and Dr. Delépine.-On the Electromotive
Phenomena of the Mammalian Heart: W. M. Bayliss and Dr. E. H.
Starling.

INSTITUTION OF ELECTRICAL ENGINEERS, at 8.-Description of the
Standard Volt and Ampere Meter used at the Ferry Works, Thames
Ditton Captain H. R. Sankey (late R. E.) and F. V. Andersen.
LONDON INSTITUTION, at 6.- On the Spread of Commerce in Europe in
Prehistoric Times; Prof. Boyd Dawkins, F.R.S.
CAMERA CLUB, at 8.30.-Some Analogous Aspects of Painting, Music, and
Poetry (Musical and Pictorial Illustrations): Rev. F. C. Lambert.

ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY, at 8.30.-Notes on Transcaspian Reptiles: G. A. Boulenger. Further Descriptions of New Butterflies from British East Africa, collected by Mr. F. J. Jackson during his Recent Expedition, Part II. Miss E. M. Sharpe.-On the Association of Gamasids with Ants: A. D. Michael.-Notes on the Bornean Rhinoceros: Edward Bartlett.

INSTITUTION OF CIVIL ENGINEERS, at 8.-Monthly Ballot for Members.Renewed Discussion on Portland Cement and Portland-Cement Concrete: Messrs. Bauber, Carey. and Smith.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2.

SOCIETY OF ARTS, at 8.-Secondary Batteries: G. H. Robertson. ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY, at 7.-Notes on Lycæna (recte Thecla) Rhymnus, Tengstræmii, and Pretiosa: George T. Baker.-The Effects of Artificial Temperature on the Colouring of Vanessa urticæ and certain other Species of Lepidoptera: Frederic Merrifield.-On the Variation in the Colour of the Cocoons of Eriogaster lanestris and Saturnia carpini: W. Bateson (communicated by Dr. D. Sharp, F.R.S.).

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3.

CHEMICAL SOCIETY, at 8.-Ballot for the Election of Fellows.-Phosphorus Oxide, Part II. Prof. Thorpe, F.R.S., and A. E. Tu ton.-On Frangulin, Part II. Prof. Thorpe and Dr. A. K. Miller.-The Structure and Character of Flames: A. Smithels and H. Tingle.-The Composition of Cooked Vegetables: Miss K. J. Williams.-On the Occurrence of a Mydicatic Alkaloid in Lettuce: T. S. Dymond.-On some Metallic Hydrosulphides: S. E. Linder and H. Picton.-On the Physical Constitution of some Solutions of Insoluble Sulphides: Harold Picton.-Solution and Pseudo-Solution: H. Picton and S. E. Linder.

LINNEAN SOCIETY, at 8.-A Contribution to the Freshwater Alga of the West of Ireland: W. West.-The Tick Pest in Jamaica: Dr. W. H. W. Strachan.

BOOKS, PAMPHLETS, and SERIALS RECEIVED.

BOOKS.-Leçons sur les Métaux, 2nd fasc.: A. Ditte (Paris, Dunod).Hand-book to the Geology of Derbyshire, 2nd edition: J. M. Mello (Bemrose).Annals of British Geology, 1890: J. F. Blake (Dulau).-The Ouse: A. J. Foster (S.P.C.K.).—Hand-book of Psychology-Feeling and Will; J. M. Baldwin (Macmillan).-Index-Catalogue of the Library of the Surgeon General's Office, U.S. Army, vol. xii. (Washington). -Electricity tested Experimentally, 3rd edition: L. Cumming (Longmans).-Problems in Chemical Arithmetic: E. J. Cox (Percival).-An Account of British Flies, vol. i. Part 2: F. W. Theobald (Stock).-A Treatise on the Geometry of the Circle: W. J. McClelland (Macmillan).-Beast and Man in India: J. L. Kipling (Macmillan).-Principles of Agriculture: edited by R. P. Wright (Blackie).-Elementary Inorganic Chemistry, new edition: A. H. Sexton (Blackie).-Euclid, Book XI. A. E. Layng (Blackie). PAMPHLETS.-Water and Water-Supply: J. Hopkinson (Hereford).— History of Liberia: J. H. T. McPherson (Baltimore).-The Nuptial Number of Plato: J. Adam (Clay).

SERIALS.-Zeitschrift für Wissenschaftliche Zoologie, 53 Band, 1 Heft (Williams and Norgate).-Cyclone Memoirs, Part 4; W. L. Dallas (Calcutta). -Journal of the Anthropological Institute, November (K. Paul).-Govern. ment of India Meteorological Department, Monthly Weather ReviewMarch and April 1891 (Calcutta).-Indian Meteorological Memoirs, vol. iv., Part 7 (Calcutta).

Dobbin: "Arithmetical Exercises in Chemistry
Pamely: "The Colliery Manager's Hand-book."-C.
L. N. F....

Mills: "Photography Applied to the Microscope"
Flammarion: "Copernic et la Découverte du Système
du Monde."-G.

Blake: "Annals of British Geology, 1890"

Letters to the Editor:

Warning Colours.-Frank E. Beddard
The Salts in Natural Waters.-R. B. H.
Mental Arithmetic.-Clive Cuthbertson.

A Rare Phenomenon.-Alexander Graham Bell Henry Nottidge Moseley, F.R.S. By Prof. E. Ray Lankester, F.R.S. . .

On the Virial of a System of Hard Colliding Bodies. By Lord Rayleigh, F.R. S.

79

80

THURSDAY, December 3, 1891.

FIELD GEOLOGY.

Outlines of Field Geology. By Sir Archibald Geikie, F.R.S. (London: Macmillan and Co., 1891.)

GE

EOLOGISTS, we are sometimes told, are a combative race. Geologists may fearlessly allow that the impeachment has a spice of truth in it. They may take comfort when they reflect that no serious consequences have ever followed from this tendency, in spite of the facilities which the formidable weapons they carry with them offer for pushing it to an extreme. Their healthy out-door life prompts banter, and the passes are apt to be so quick and keen that the uninitiated may be pardoned if they think the buttons are off the foils.

The meetings of the Geological Society have witnessed many a sharp passage of arms. It may be permissible to recall one. A well-known member of the brotherhood, safe long ago among the majority, of large and varied experience, was indulging in just a little brag about the broad areas he had surveyed. The retort came sharp and quick from one whose quips and cranks are now alas heard no more: "Where are your maps?" And the contemptuous answer was, that the chief requisites for geological mapping were a stout pair of legs and sound wind. There were elements of truth in this lively sparring, despite its extravagance.

It is a truism that need hardly be repeated, that geology cannot be learned without out-door work, and geological excursions are a necessary item in all geological teaching. But what do they amount to? There is a leader who knows the country well. He selects a line along which sections follow one another in close succession. The exposures are so plentiful and near together that even the beginner realizes without difficulty the order in which the several rock-groups follow one above the other, and there are ample opportunities for mastering their lithological character and fossil contents. A longitudinal section is readily constructed, and figures with more or less of misconception in the note-book of each of the party. An admirable start this. But what is it compared with the mental discipline that goes along with the making of a geological map, and the grip of the subject that results from this form of geological work? There is as much difference between the two as between that form of sport which consists in riding behind a pack of hounds who follow a trailed herring, and the stalking of deer in their

native wilds.

It is in mapping more than in any of its other branches that geology rises to the level of an educational tool, Here there must be the instinctive skill, acquired by long practice, which leads the surveyor to select in his preliminary work the traverses most likely to give a broad view of the structure of the district he is working over; the patience which forbids, when the first rough sketch comes to be filled in, that a single square yard of ground shall be left unvisited, lest some bit of evidence should be missed; and the constructive power which pieces together

the accumulated mass of multifarious data into a consistent whole. Keenness of eye, neatness of hand, judgment, unwearied application, and chastened imagination

figure among the requisites for the work, and grow in strength as it proceeds. Surely the finishing touch in a geologist's education is given by the making of a geological map.

That the art cannot be learned from books alone, goes without saying; that books can do but little towards teaching it, may be safely maintained. But there is no reason why a master should not give us in print all the aid that a book can afford, and lure us to the fascinating pursuit by an eloquent description of its charms. And that a book which deals with field-geology has been found of service, and that geologists are not averse to hear the praises of their favourite employment, are proved by the fact that the little book on this subject by the DirectorGeneral of the Geological Survey is now in its fourth edition.

The work is primarily addressed to geologists, but it appeals also to those who have no claim to so distinctive a title, and no wish for it. It shows how much pleasure may be derived from an acquaintance with the science no larger than any intelligent person may easily acquire ; how even this moderate amount of knowledge enhances the enjoyment of travel and of the daily walk. But let the author speak for himself.

offers many attractions. Few men are so unobservant as "To those who are fond of country rambles geology not to be struck, now and then, by at least the more salient features of a landscape. Even in a flat, featureless country, the endless and apparently capricious curvings of the sluggish streams may occasionally suggest the question why such serpentine courses should ever have been and breaks out into hills or crags; still more, when it chosen. But when the ground rises into undulations, towers into rugged mountains, cleft by precipices down which the torrents are ever pouring, and by ravines in the depths of which the hoarse streams ceaselessly murmur, one can hardly escape the natural curiosity to landscape, when and how they arose, and why they know something about these singular aspects of the should be precisely as they are."

Our author goes on to say that "the day is now happily past when the sterner features of the land awakened only a feeling of horror; when they were styled hideous and unsightly; when they were never visited save under the necessities of travel, and were always left behind with a sense of relief." That the appreciation of the beauty of mountain scenery is a taste of modern growth can hardly be disputed. It is open to question whether the comforts of modern travel have not done as much to foster it, as a scientific curiosity to know how the forms which charm our eye were produced. But, however this may be, the awakening and the satisfying of such curiosity are added items to the stock of pleasures which the lover of Nature derives from her wilder aspects.

Some of the inducements to field-work having been thus attractively put forward, the author defines the aim of the book. The student

"must betake himself to Nature from the first. His lessons in the field should accompany his lessons from the text-book or lecture-room. In many cases he The following chapters are offered for his help. must grope his way without guide or assistance. Their aim is to point out how observations may be made, what kinds of data should be looked for, what sort of evidence should be sought to establish a conclusion, and

what deductions may be drawn from particular facts. In short, they are to be regarded as sign-posts pointing out some of the highways and byways of geological inquiry, but leaving the reader to perform the journey in his own fashion."

At the outset it is made clear that, though some localities supply more material than others, even the most unpromising are far from barren of interest to those who have eyes to see. The necessary equipment is fully de

scribed. In addition to the "cheese-taster" mentioned on p. 29, the portable boring-apparatus devised by Belgian geologists has been found useful. So much stress has been already laid on the value of mapping, that it will be enough to say that, in the author's opinion, the geologist "acquires by it a thoroughness of grasp attainable in no other way." It would have been well if the meaning of contour lines, and the way in which hillshading is used to denote the shape of the surface, had been treated of more fully. The illustrations of the sinuosities of outcrop across uneven ground, on p. 101, are beautifully distinct, but nothing is said as to the value of models in making clear this point to the beginner. Of course they tell most when he makes them himself: a

little modelling clay can generally be obtained; but, in default of better material, an apple or turnip can be made to do good service. In the very handy approximate rule, on p. 116, for determining the thickness of a bed when its dip and the breadth of its outcrop are known, it is not stated that the surface on which the breadth is measured must be horizontal; or, if it be an inclined plane, we must substitute for dip the sum or difference, as the case may be, of the dip of the bed and the inclination of the plane to the horizon. The error committed in using this rule for a dip of 5° is a little over 4 per cent. in defect; it decreases as the dip increases up to 30°: for that angle the rule is accurately true. For dips over 30° the rule gives the thicknesses too great; the error increases rather rapidly with the dip, and at 45° amounts to 6 per cent.; for a dip of 50° it is nearly 9 per cent.

The great value of the book consists in this: from beginning to end it embodies the experiences of one who has spent a lifetime in field-work, and so it is full of

"wrinkles" which could not possibly have been picked up in any other way. Most of these anyone who has in him the making of a field-geologist would sooner or later have found out for himself; but it is no small gain to the beginner to be put on the right track to start with, and to have his instructions conveyed with the life and freshness that practical acquaintance can alone give. The present writer feels proud that in one respect he can claim even a more extended experience than the author of the book the latter, apparently, has never been suspected of being an incendiary (see p. 20), a fate which once befell him who pens this notice. A. H. GREEN.

was attached to the U.S. Legation at Peking, he looked forward with pleasure to the chance of exploring the country; and he began to make the best of all preparations for the undertaking by studying the Tibetan language. At this he worked for four years, during which he also gave some time to the study of Chinese.

In the winter of 1888 he resigned his post of Secretary of Legation, and made ready for his long-anticipated journey. He determined to enter Tibet from the north,

and started from Peking on December 17. The choice of this route made it necessary for him to make in the first instance for Lan-chou, the capital of the province of Kan-su; so he arranged with a cart firm to supply him with two carts, with two mules to each, to take him there in thirty-four days. For every day over this they were to pay him two taels, he giving them the same amount for every day gained on the date agreed upon. This plan worked admirably, and he reached his destination two days ahead of time. The distance was 1350 miles.

From Lan-chou, Mr. Rockhill advanced to Hsi-ning, the residence of the Chinese Imperial Controller-general of the Koko-nor, an official known to the Tibetans and opposed to foreigners, Mr. Rockhill made off from HsiMongols as the Amban. As this magnate was strongly ning as soon as possible, going to Lusar, a village near Kumbum. Kumbum is a great religious centre, and he was fortunate enough to be present on the 12th of the first moon, when the Chinese in every village and town of the empire celebrate the dragon festival. After looking through one of the temples, he and those who accompanied him walked round it, keeping it on the right hand “a mode of showing respect for sacred things observed in all lamaist countries." At a lamasery in the neighbourhood, where he found a native who had taught him Tibetan at Peking, he had much pleasant

talk with various lamas. These authorities were, he says,. esoteric Buddhism and the Mahatmas. "immensely amused" by what he had to tell them about

Mr. Rockhill's final preparations were made at Tankar, the most westerly border town in that part of Kan-su. From this place, with his men, he set out on March 24, His intention 1889, and was soon across the frontier. was to visit Lh'asa; and had he succeeded in carrying out this plan, his narrative would probably have taken rank among the foremost modern books of travel. Unfortunately, the difficulties in the way proved to be insuperable, and he was obliged to content himself with a much less ambitious enterprise. The first country traversed by the party was Koko-nor, their route taking them past the northern shore of the great lake from which the region derives its name. This lake is some 230 miles in circumference, and its altitude is about 10,900 feet above sea-level. Looking at it from a low pass to the north-east, Mr. Rockhill describes it as "a glistening sheet of ice, stretching as far as the eye could reach to the west, and bounded to the south by a range of high, bleak mountains with snow-tipped peaks." To the north and west of the lake there is fine grazing-land, which is watered by many streams. Here nomads find excellent camping grounds in swales and hollows, which afford protection from violent west and north-west winds.

After leaving Koko-nor, the party passed in a southerly direction through Ts'aidam, crossing the the Timurté

Mountains, beyond which they entered the desert of Koko Beileh. Starting from the village of Shang, in Ts'aidam, Mr. Rockhill explored a district which Prjevalsky did not find it convenient to visit. Here he followed the course of the Yohuré, on the left bank of which a range of mountains culminates in a peak which Mr. Rockhill estimated to be between 17,000 and 18,000 feet above sea-level. This peak he called Mount Caroline. The district was everywhere "literally alive with game," yak and wild asses being particularly plentiful. Of the Mongols of Ts'aidam, Huc and Prjevalsky have given very unfavourable accounts. Mr. Rockhill found them honest and hospitable; and he says they are much more devout Buddhists than the Koko-nor Tibetans. Among the latter, the laity "do not bother themselves about praying, thinking that they pay the lamas quite enough to do all that is necessary for their good," whereas the Ts'aidam Mongols "are continually mumbling prayers, twirling prayer-wheels, or perhaps doing both at the same time." At Shang a pole supporting two prayer-wheels was attached to the roof of nearly every house. The wheels were put in motion by the wind, which was caught by a simple arrangement of wooden cups fixed on the ends of horizontal sticks, and looking like our anemo

meters.

From Ts'aidam the party entered North-Eastern Tibet, and here they traversed for the most part a bleak country until they were some way beyond Jyékundo. The country between the range to the south of Alang-nor and the source of the Yellow River has an average altitude of about 14,500 feet; and at this height the horses and dogs soon showed signs of great fatigue. "We felt no brighter than the animals," says Mr. Rockhill; "our clothes seemed to weigh tons, our guns loaded us down, and walking, even on the level, was such a violent effort that perspiration poured down our faces." They were repeatedly warned that it would be impossible for them to cross the Dré Ch'u or upper Yang-tzu Kiang. The passage, however, was effected without serious difficulty. At the point where they first saw it, the river was of a beautiful blue colour. It was about 120 yards wide and 20 feet deep, and flowed swiftly between high, bare, reddish mountains. South of the Dré Ch'u they crossed the Zonyik Valley (altitude, 16,300 feet), at the head of which they saw twelve argali, a kind of sheep which is said to be not uncommon in the wilder gorges along the river. The snow was so deep, and any exertion so exhausting, that Mr. Rockhill did not try to get a shot at them. Beyond this valley the party came to Taglung-la, (altitude, 16,650 feet), the highest pass crossed in the course of the whole journey.

Jyékundo proved to be a pretty place, nestling at the foot of a high, steep hill crowned with the brightly coloured walls of a lamasery. After the fatigues the party had undergone, Mr. Rockhill wished very much to spend a week or two at this village; but the abbot of the lamasery, who was the chief of the district, was SO bitterly hostile that they had to depart in haste. During the first day's journey beyond this point the country remained bare and bleak; but when, on the following day, they entered the Dren-kou valley, which leads down to the Dré Ch'u, the scenery changed as if by magic." They found themselves in a fertile and picturesque glen, where

juniper and pine trees grew on the mountains, while by the roadside were plum, gooseberry, honeysuckle, and other shrubs, the fragrance of their blossoms filling the air. A brook flowed between banks covered with soft green grass "powdered over with little white and pink flowers." During the remainder of the journey Mr. Rockhill was often troubled by the lamas, but in other respects his difficulties were less formidable. The route passed through many villages, and he often has occasion to express admiration for the charm of the scenery. Advancing in a south-easterly direction, he came to Dérgé, the richest agricultural and manufacturing region of Eastern Tibet, and the most densely populated. It is especially famous for the excellence of its metal-work. Mr. Rockhill spent some days at Kanzé, the chief city of the Horba country, the inhabitants of which seemed to him the best-looking people he had seen in Tibet. Lu, the Chinese official stationed at Kanzé, warned him that he might encounter serious dangers beyond that city, and insisted on his taking an escort of four Chinese soldiers. Talking of wild tribes to the north of the Horba country, this official assured Mr. Rockhill that men in a state of primitive savagery were found in Tibet. Lu himself had seen a number of wild men who had been driven out of woods by a forest-fire on the flank of Mount Ka-lo, east of Kanzé. "They were very hairy, their language was incomprehensible to Tibetans, and they wore most primitive garments made of skins. He took them to belong to the same race as the Golok, of whom many lived in caves in a condition of profound savagery.' From Jyékundo to Dawo, Mr. Rockhill followed the route which had been taken by Pundit A— K—, or Krishna, in 1882; but from Dawo to Ta-chien-lu he chose a different way, and thus had an opportunity of studying a new section of country, which he carefully describes. At Ta-chien-lu, his travels, so far as Tibet was concerned, came to an end. He had still before him, however, a long journey in China, and of the more striking part of it he gives an excellent account, presenting with special vigour the incidents of a trip down the Yang-tzu Kiang, which had "just enough of danger in it to give it zest."

Mr. Rockhill writes simply and clearly, and geographers will read with interest all he has to say of the more remote regions through which he passed. His remarks on the people are not less valuable. It is stated by Chinese writers of authority that for every family in Tibet there are three lamas, and Mr. Rockhill does not believe that this is an exaggerated estimate. From Jyćkundo to Ta-chien-lu, a distance of about 600 miles, he passed forty lamaseries, in the smallest of which there were 100 monks, and in five of them from 2000 to 4000. Their landed property is in many cases enormous, and their serfs and bondsmen swarm. There are four lamaist sects, called by the Chinese, yellow, red, black, and white lamas; but the laity do not attribute much importance to the differences between them. In Eastern Tibet there is also a creed known as "Bön." It represents the pre-Buddhist Shamanism of the country. The "Bönbo" are held in great scorn by the lamas; but as their charge for "beating the drum" is exceptionally low, they are readily invited to the houses of the common people for religious services.