Pyrenees

pir'e-nez, a range of mountains forming a natural boundary between France and Spain. The main summits reach a height of about 11,000 feet. The range is very regular in its structure. It may be said to occupy a region 300 miles in length and seventy in width. The main axis branches at right angles with regularity, and these branches throw off short spurs parallel to the main range, giving the entire range a fern-leaf pattern. Highways and railroads pass at either end between the mountains and the sea. There are but two intervening passes practicable for vehicles. The entire range is described as a series of terraces, precipices, deep ravines and brawling mountain torrents. The core of the mountains is granite. Limestone and chalk are chiefly in evidence. There are deposits of coal on the Spanish slopes. There are glaciers on the northern slopes of the central region. A number of plants, including a yam, are not found elsewhere. The Pyrenean ibex is confined to this range. The mountain streams are inhabited by a peculiar water mole. Scientists have given considerable study to the bright insects found in the limestone caverns. See Basques; Bayard