1822.] the Sources of the Rivers Ganges and Jumna.” 105 
rains; but from what I can learn, they in turn plunder their 
eastern neighbours of the Cédar-nat’h districts, and they pride 
themselves on the long journeys they make in their sheep stealing 
expeditions. The proper time for those incursions is the latter 
end of the rains, when the snow in the defiles is much reduced. 
The women have not here, as to the westward, a plurality of 
husbands. I saw no fire arms among the inhabitants, nor 
swords or war hatchets ; their weapons are bows and arrows, 
The climate of Reital is at this season very pleasant, and the 
price of grain is not high, but it is not abundant. The corn is 
cut in the beginning of June. 
No volcanos were seen or heard of in these mountains, whose 
composition is granite of various kinds and colours. No shells 
or animal remains were seen. ‘The magnetic variation was small, 
and differing little, if at all, from what it is on the plains of the 
upper provinces ; it is from 40’ to 1° and 2° according to differ- 
ent needles, and is easterly, by which I mean that the variation 
must be added to the magnetic azimuth. The diurnal small 
changes in the barometer were perceptible, the mercury always 
falling a little before noon as in the plains. 
Having received new thermometers from Calcutta, both lon 
and short, I found that they gave the same boiling point, but the 
thermometer I had last year in Busahir, &c. showed the boiling 
point 2° or 23° below the new ones. I always suspected the 
thermometer, but had not then a better. It boiled in the Panwei 
pass in the Kunaur and Busahir snowy mountains at 188° at m 
camp a little above the lower line of snow on the 24th June last, 
so that it should have been 190°, or 22° lower than at the sea 
side. Bears abound in the higher mountains ; also the goorul 
or boorul, an animal between the deer and goat, and the pheir, 
a larger animal of the same kind. I have preserved the skin, 
horns, and bones, of the head of one shot near Jumnotri. Near 
the villages where snow lies a great part of the year, there are 
abundance of the Monaul pheasants and chakors. In the lower 
mountains there are black partridges, and tigers, leopards, and 
bears, I never saw any snakes in the cooler regions. 
_ It was remarked above, that the snow on the great bed was 
stuck as it were with rock and rubbish in such a manner as that 
the stones and large pieces of rock are supported in the snow, 
and sink as it sks ; as they are at such a distance from the 
-peaks as to preclude the idea that they could have rolled down 
to their present places, except their sharp points had been 
covered, it appears most likely that the very weighty falls of 
snow which there must be here in the winter bring down with 
them pieces of rock in the same manner as a larger snow ball 
would collect gravel, and carry it on with it in its course. 
Masses of snow falling from the high peaks which bound the 
snow bed, if they chanced to collect more, and to take a rounded 
form, would have a prodigious impulse, and might roll to the 
