Snow-Line in the Himalaya. 337 



into Hundes via Unta-dhura, Kyungar-ghat, and Balch-dhura, 

 at the beginning of the month ; and on the road back again, 

 via Lakhur-gh4t, at the end of the month. 



Of the three passes that Ave crossed on our way from Mi- 

 lam, all of them being about 17,700 feet in elevation, the first 

 is Unta-dhura, and we saw no snow on any part of the way 

 up to its very top, which we reached about 4 p.m., in a very 

 disagreeable drizzle of rain and snow. The final ascent to 

 the pass from the south is about 1000 feet ; it is very steep 

 at the bottom, and covered with fragments of black slaty 

 limestone. 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 ; the ground being 

 worked up into deep black mud by the feet of the cattle that 

 had been lately returning to Milam. 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 everywhere quite free from 

 snow. On the ascent to Unta-dhura, at, perhaps, 17,000 feet, 

 a few blades of grass were seen ; but, on the whole, it may 

 said to have been utterly devoid of vegetation. On the north 

 side of the pass, 300 or 400 feet below the summit, a Cruci- 

 ferous plant was the first that was met with. 



The Kyungar pass, which is five or six miles north of Unta- 

 dhdra, 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, as at Unta-dhura, a large bed 

 lay a little way down the slope, and extended to about 500 

 feet from the top. On tliis pass a Boragineous plant in flower 

 waii found above ] 7,000 feet ; a species of Urtica was also 

 got about the same altitude, and we afterwards saw it again 

 nearly as high up on the LAkhur pass. 



From the Kyungar-gh'it, a considerable j)ortion of the 



