ILLUSTRATIONS (10). THE SNOW-LINE. 79 



tlie month; and on his road back again, vid Lakhur-ghat, at 

 the end of the month. 



" Of the three passes that we crossed on our way from 

 Milam, all of them being about 17,000 feet in elevation, the 

 first is Wata-dhara, and we saw no snow on any part of the 

 way up to its top, which was reached in a very disagreeable 

 drizzle of rain and snow. The final ascent to the pass from 

 the south is about 1000 feet. The path leads up the side of 

 a ravine, down which a small stream trickles, the ground 

 having a generally even and rounded surface. Neither on 

 any part of this nor on the summit of the pass itself, which is 

 tolerably level, were there any remains of snow whatever. 

 On the ridge to the right and left there were patches of snow 

 a few hundred feet above ; and on the northern face of the 

 pass an accumulation remained that extended about 200 feet 

 down, apparently the effect of the drift through the gap in 

 which the pass lies. Below this again the ground was every- 

 where quite free -from snow. On the ascent to Wata-dhara, at 

 perhaps 1 7,000 feet, a few blades of grass were seen, but on 

 the whole it may be said to have been utterly devoid of 

 vegetation. On the north side of the pass, 300 or 400 feet 

 below the summit, a cruciferous plant was the first met with. 



"The Kyungar pass, which is four or six miles north of 

 Wata-dhara, was found equally free from snow on its southern 

 face and summit, which latter is particularly open and level . 

 The mountains on either side were also free from snow to 

 some height; but on the north a large bed lay a little way 

 down the slope, and extended to about 500 feet from the 

 top. On this pass a boragineous plant in flower was found 

 above 17,000 feet; a species of TJrtica was also got about the 

 same altitude, and we afterwards saw it again nearly as high 

 up on the Lakhur pass. 



" In our ascent to the Balch pass no snow was observed 

 on any of the southern spires of the range, and only one or 

 two very small patches could be seen from the summit on the 

 north side. The average height of the top of this range 

 can hardly be more than 500 feet greater than that of the 

 pass ; and as a whole it certainly does not enter the region of 

 perpetual snow. As viewed from the plains of Handes, it 

 cannot be said to appear snowy, a few only of the peaks being 

 tipped. 



