Snow-Line in the Himalaya. 



329 



1. Southern limit of the belt of perpetual snow. — In this part 

 of the Himalaya, it is not, on an average of years, till the be- 

 ginning of December, that the snow-line appears decidedly to 

 descend for the winter. After the end of September, indeed, 

 when the rains are quite over, light falls of snow are not of 

 very uncommon occurrence on the higher mountains, even 

 down to 12,000 feet ; but their effects usually disappear very 

 quickly, often in a few hours. The latter part of October, 

 the whole of November, and the beginning of December, ai'e 

 here generally characterised by the beautiful serenity of the 

 sky ; and it is at this season, on the southern edge of the 

 belt, that the line of perpetual snow is seen to attain its 

 greatest elevation. 



The following are the results of trigonometrical measure- 

 ments of the elevation of the inferior edge of snow on spurs 

 of the Treslti and Nandadevi groups of peaks, made, before 

 the winter snow had begun, in November 1848.* 



The points 1, 2, and 3, are in ridges that run from the 



* These measurements make no pretension to accuracy, but are sufficiently 

 good approximations for the purpose for whicli they are intended. The heiglits 

 are given as calculated from observations made both at Almorah and Hinsar, to 

 shew, in some degree, what confidence may be attached to them. The heiglits 

 of Almorah and Binsar are on the authority of Captain Webb's survey ; the dis- 

 tance of these places, wliich is used as the base from which to calculate the se- 

 veral distances of the points observed, was got from a map of trigonomctri- 

 cally determined stations obtained from the tjurveyor-General's UlHce. 



