HYDRACARINA 113 



The species of Kasliniir may Ijc arranged in the following way: 



List of the IVatcnnitcs of Kashmir (Above 1000 m.) 

 1500-1600 m. 



Eylais degenerata Accniis ornatits 



Hydrachna conjccta 



1600-2800 m. 



Calonyx flagcllum Megapus pro.viiiialis 



Kaslniiirofhyas hiitchinsoni 



2800-3000 m. 

 Calonyx montanus ParatJiyas priitiith'a 



3000-4100 m. 

 Pro taicUa hutch iiisoni 



4100-4300 m. 

 Eylais Iiauiata 



It is difficult to decide at what height the corresponding zoogeographical limits run in 

 North Sweden, in the Alps and on Mt. Elgon, so far as the watermite fauna is concerned. 

 A personal knowledge of all three districts would be necessary in order to settle this. How- 

 ever, I think we can use preliminarily the uppermost limit of the forest as an indicator of the 

 climate." On Mt. Rlgon this limit runs at an altitude of ahout 3400 meters, in North 

 Sweden at 400-900 meters, sinking cnnsiderahly from South tn N<irth. \\\ the Aljis the 

 forest-limit is situated at about 1900 meters (1800 m. along the northern and 2000 m. at 

 the southern border). In the part of the Kashmir \'alley studied by the Yale Expedition 

 the forest-limit, according to information in writing from Dr. Hutchinson, is situated between 

 3000 and 3500 meters. Within this depression, i.e., southwest of the main Himalayan range, 

 in the Srinagar region, at a height of about 1500-1700 meters, the winter is not severe at 

 all, but most localities there are likely frozen in parts of January and February, whereas the 

 summer temperature must be high. The species found in stagnant waters there are Eylais 

 degenerata, Hydrachjui conjccta, and .Icrrcus oruaftis. The water temperature varied between 

 13.0-23.2°C. 



The expedition crossed the, range at the Zoji-La pass at 3528 meters, where many kilo- 

 meters of snow were found along the road in the middle of May. On the southwestern 

 slopes of the range before the expedition reached the pass only one species, Kashniirothyas 

 liutchinsoni, was collected, in streams at Sonamarg at 2590 meters. The climate here is 

 undoubtedlv more rigorous, with lower temperatures, than in the Kashmir basin. Once over 



" It is clear, however, that this limit is a very rough one, owing to the fact that distribution of water animals 

 depends upon the temperature of the water, which does not always correspond to that of the air nor is it a simple 

 exponent of the height above the sea level. At the same level different bodies of water often present ciuite difTerent 

 temperatures. 



