422 Dr Aitchison on Botanical Features of the [sess. liii, 



branaceoiis inflated fruit, reinarkal)le as one of a monotypic 

 genns, belonging to the natural order Sapindacete. In the 

 sandy hillocks Haloxylon Ammoclendron grew in gTeat pro- 

 fusion in some localities, often almost to a tree size ; 

 this is celebrated as fodder for camels, who can live upon 

 its twigs and branches, without a change of diet, for a 

 long period. Owing to its resemblance to a tamarisk, it is 

 so called by both Europeans and natives. Its wood makes 

 excellent fuel, and at Herat a green dye is extracted from it. 



We reached Hadj-ali, on the Helmand, on the 16th 

 October. Its altitude above the sea-level was about 1500 

 feet. From this we travelled down the left bank of the 

 river, until almost opposite to Chakar-burja, where we crossed 

 it, and then marched clown the right bank until we reached 

 the great expanse of water called the Hamun. On the 

 islands of the river and low-lying land we had forests of 

 the Euphratic poplar, with tamarisks, and large grasses and 

 reeds. On the main land, but where the river's moisture 

 reached the surface, there were forests of Tamarix articulata, 

 some trees being 1 5 feet in circumference, and owing to their 

 peculiarity of always being found growing on mounds, were 

 called by the natives the " mound- or hill-tamarix." The 

 table-lands and plateaux on either side of the river much 

 resembled the desert country of Baluchistan, and were 

 seen to be similarly dotted with shrubs of Salsola, Poly- 

 gonacese, and tamarisk. Over the whole country which we 

 had as yet crossed, Alhagi canielorum, or the camel thorn, 

 another great fodder, had been a luxuriant shrub. It is 

 said here not to produce the manna, Tar-anjabin, but in 

 Khorasan I collected manna from it in some quantity, — 

 occurring in small transparent nodules on the upper parts of 

 the branches and stems. It is said to be collected usually 

 at the end of July, after the hot winds have set in, and just 

 as the wheat harvest has Ijeen gathered. 



Hamun, in this country, means a locality with a certain 

 depth of water that allows of the growth of bushes and 

 reeds, tamarisk, and Arundo. It is, in short, the overflow 

 of the lake at certain seasons of the year, on an almost level 

 fjiece of land. Much of the Hamun, at the season of the 

 year that we passed it, was dry, and the jungle was traversed 

 for pasturage l;y iiniuense herds of cattle, sheep, and goats, 



