FAUNA. The large native animals of the Alps are becoming scarcer and scareer, by reason of the increasing number of sportsmen and the fact that the exploration habit. which is here practiced by tourists as in no other part of the world, has left scarcely a valley in untrodden seclusion. The wild cat, the brown bear, and the wolf have been driven into the more remote recesses, and are gradually becoming rare. The chamois and the ibex are found among the higher mountains, the haunts of the latter being among the inaccessible rocky solitudes bordering on the snow line. The pursuit of these animals is the moat exciting and dangerous of European hunting sports. Foxes, weasels, and Alpine hares are plentiful. while otters and ermines are less numerous. The badger is common in the lower Alps, but the marmot is more distinctively an Alpine habitant, and it seems to maintain its numbers, and flourishes along with some smaller rodents in the higher altitudes even up to the snow line, the Alpine snow mouse having, been found up to an altitude of 12,000 feet. The birds of the lower Alps are very numerous, consisting of the adjoining European species, and among the higher mountains are to he found eagles, hawks, and owls, and the smaller birds, •houghs, snow finches, and larks. The great lam mergeyer, once quite common in the higher Alps, has now become almost extinct. Game birds, such as woodcock, grouse, and partridges, are fairly abundant. Reptiles are not numerous. The lakes of the Alpine region contain a large variety of fishes; trout, salmon, and in some localities species of whitefish being the most important. Insects of all kinds flon•ish in the Alps. Butterflies and beetles are numerous, and extend up to snow altitudes. With increase of elevation, however, their colors become more and more subdued, and they become more and more deficient in wing power, thus necessitating a closer eontaet with the ground than prevails in like species below.
Fiona. The forms of plant life of the Alps differ with the altitude, ranging from those emu mon in Europe, at lat. 40, to those typical of the arctic regions. The main subdivision of the Alpine plant growth is therefore into altituilinal zones: with increase of altitude there is a corres ponding poleward change in the tlora. The Alpine
slopes are noted for their verdure up to the limits of vegetation; at low altitudes are the forests and meadows, while above these are the shrub and flower-decked pastures, which are such an im portant feature both in the landscape and in local life. At the base of the Alps on the south side, the lemon and olive flourish; but on the whole the prosperous growth of the vine may be taken as the most significant indication of plant life. With the grape occur the hardy plants of Central Europe, grains, and the princi pal deciduous trees, oak, beech, ash, sycamore, maple, chestnut, and walnut. These latter are to be found up to an altitude of 4000 or 5000 feet, when they give way to the coniferous trees, which, while plentiful only up to an altitude of 6000 to 7000 feet, are in places found at still greater elevations, where the fir, the larch, and the creeping pine are the chief species seen, together with shrubs of Central and Northern Europe. The Alpine roses and violets are cele brated for their beauty. The typical Alpine plants, those which grow above the tree line, in some instances up to the region of eternal snow, are characteriied by a low, clumpy growth which sends forth at the proper season flower stalks which bear beautifully colored flowers. The blossoms of many species have peculiar hairy or woolly coatings. Gentians, violets. Alpine bells, edelrue. and the world-famed edelweiss are among the beautiful flowering plants of the re gion. Shrubs, such as the juniper, dwarf willow, and dwarf rhododendron, also occur in some places in profusion. Above the highest altitude of flowering plants and stunted shrub growth, from 10.000 to 12.000 feet. alg. mosses, and lieh ens are the only vegetable life. There is not. how ever, a uniform flora at the same altitude in all parts of the Alpine region. Some species are in deed common in the appropriate climatic zone throughout the whole region; but, on the other hand, some species are limited to the west Alps, while others are peculiar to the north, south, or east Alps. Some of the arctic plants are so nar rowly limited in distribution as to be found only on certain mountain groups.