512 THE KARLIK TAGH 



Travelling now became more pleasant, spring being 

 already in evidence in these sheltered localities. Al- 

 though the Khotun-tam River was frozen over, the 

 poplars were bursting their buds and the willow- stems 

 were red ; summer-birds were fast arriving, and on 

 April i6th the first butterflies were seen. Up the valley, 

 small fields, — off which a crop would be taken during 

 the summer months, — extended to an altitude of about 

 8,000 ft. Indications of the summer-resorts used by 

 the Khotun-tamliks were not lacking, for besides the 

 kraals for cattle we noticed a curious kind of dw^elling 

 which seemed to be a reproduction of a nomad's yurt. 

 This consisted of a circular wall of stones, on the top 

 of which was erected a roof of spruce-poles in the form 

 of a wigwam or tepee, over which, during the summer, 

 was spread a covering of felt. 



The valley itself was a good example of the great 

 denudation to which the Karlik Tagh has been subject. 

 The lower half of the valley was a V-shaped gorge ; 

 higher up its floor was choked and barriered with more 

 matter than the stream could carry away; the ascent 

 was very steep, and in seven miles along the valley- 

 bottom we passed from 5,500 ft. to 9,000 ft. Grass 

 grew where possible, and poplars extended along the 

 stream up to 8,000 ft. ; above this altitude scrub filled 

 the bottoms, and spruce forest appeared on the slopes 

 facing north and north-west. The ascent of a ridge, to 

 an altitude of 12,800 ft., helped me to place a large area 

 of unknown country on the map, which now grew in im- 

 portance as we approached the quite unsurveyed eastern 

 end of the range. This ascent proved to me clearly that 

 all previous estimates of the height of the culminating 

 points were at fault. 



