ANNOTATIONS AND ADDITIONS. 121 



intermedia, and Mimosa doriniens, which are great favourites 

 with the wild horses and cattle. The natives give to this 

 group of plants, which close their delicate feathery leaves 

 on being touched, the expressive name of Dormideras 

 sleepy plants. For many square miles not a tree is seen ; 

 but where solitary trees are found, they are, in moist 

 places, the Mauritia Palm ; in arid districts, a Proteacea, 

 described by Bonpland and myself, the Rhopala complicata 

 (Chaparro bobo) , which Wildenow regarded as an Embo- 

 thrium; also the highly useful Palma de Covija, or de 

 Sombrero ; and our Corypha inermis, an umbrella palm allied 

 to Chama3rops, which is used to cover the roofs of huts. 

 How far more varied is the aspect of the Asiatic plains ! 

 Throughout a large portion of the Kirghis and Calinuck 

 Steppes, which I have traversed from the Don, the Caspian, 

 and the Orenburg Ural river the Jaik, to the Obi and 

 the Upper Irtysh near Lake Dsaisang, through a space of 

 40 degrees of longitude, I have never seen, as in the 

 Llanos, the Pampas, and the Prairies, an horizon like that 

 of the ocean, where the vault of heaven appears to rest on 

 the unbroken plain. At the utmost this appearance pre- 

 sented itself in one direction, or towards one quarter of the 

 heavens. The Asiatic Steppes are often crossed by ranges 

 of hills, or clothed with coniferous woods or forests. Even 

 in the most fruitful pastures the vegetation is by no means 

 limited to grasses ; there is a great variety of herbaceous 

 plants and shrubs. In spring-time small snow-white and 

 red-flowering rosacese and amygdaleae (Spiraea, Cratsegus, 

 Prunus spinosa, and Amygdalus nana) present a smiling 

 aspect. I have already mentioned the tall and luxuriant 



