NORTH-WEST MONGOLIA AND CHINESE DZUNGARIA. 395 
season, but in summer was shrivelled by heat. There were evidences in 
the torrent beds of oceasional cloud-bursts, but the whole country was 
waterless and without springs. 
Ascending the Kundelun River, a great mountain mass was observed 
rising to 13,000 feet with many glaciers and snowfields. This system, 
which the expedition named the Kundelun mountains, is probably the one 
mentioned by Potanin, who visited its eastern side and called them the 
Turgun mountains. At “Kunde Kureen," the seat of a Mongol prince, 
altitude 5900 feet, the flora was of the plateau-desert type containing 
Arenaria capillaris var. nardifolia and Stipa capillata. At 6300 feet Larch 
forest commenced in shady places accompanied by Aconitum sp. The forest 
continued up to 7600 feet on the shady side of the valleys only. At 7000 feet 
the Alpine association began to creep in with Gentiana prostrata. At this 
height good grazing-land was found in the bottoms of the valleys, and the 
Mongol population grazed their flocks here during the latter part of the 
summer. Between 7500 and 7600 feet there is an area of dry peat-beds 
grass is now growing. Above this there 
was an area of bog and swamp. There were some indieations that the 
containing old tufts, upon which 
swamps once extended lower down the valley, and that the drier floral 
association is extending over the area once covered by Alpine meadow. 
At 8300 feet the expedition came upon the Kundelun glaciers, which descend 
from the snowfield between 11,000 and 13,000 feet. There were some evi- 
dences that these glaciers were retreating, for several recently evacuated 
moraines were to be seen, upon which vegetation of Sphagnum, Allardia 
glabra, and Sedum quadrifidum were beginning to appear. In the little 
glacial lakes Sphagnum and Ranunculus natans were obtained. Vegetation 
continued up to 11,000 feet, which can be taken as the line of the summer 
snow. The specimens found at this altitude were .lllardia glabra and 
Sedum quadrifidum. 
After leaving the Kundelun mountains the expedition visited the basin of 
Lake Uriu Nor, and, crossing the Barmen mountains to the south, reached 
the watershed of the Upper Kobdo River. Round Lake Uriu Nor (height 
4500 feet) there was a peculiar type of flora, which was found right on the 
edge of the lake, growing in the marshes and stagnant pools. It was 
represented by Artemisia Sieversiana, Nepeta botryoides, Anabasis brevifolia, 
and Ranunculus Cymbalaria. There was evidence that the lake had once 
been at a higher level, for strands of gravel lay at from ten to thirty feet 
above the present water-level. The lake had no outlet, and therefore 
indicates in its water-level any variation in the climatic conditions of this 
part of North-West Mongolia. 
On the Barmen mountains, 8200 feet, south of Lake Uriu Nor, Alpine 
meadows with Betula nana were discovered. Larch forest was seen in shady 
places at about 7500 feet. This is also the height above which late summer 
