A HIMALAYAN VALLEY 3 



wall. It is like gazing from a boundless ocean on to 

 a rocky coast. 



Valleys lead into this mountain barrier and penetrate 

 the snowy range. They mark the course of the main 

 rivers along which the drainage of the system flows. 

 I pass to one of these valleys at the western end of 

 the Himalaya close to where the Indus river emerges 

 on to the plains. This is the valley that leads into the 

 district of Hazara, a narrow tongue-shaped strip of 

 British territory projecting northward into the ranges. 

 I take it as a typical example of a portion of the 

 Western Himalaya and will consider certain aspects of 

 its natural history in some little detail. 



This district of Hazara is a long and slender wedge 

 of British soil driven in between two independent 

 territories. It extends from 33° 44' to 35° 10' N. and 

 72° 33' to 74° 6' E. Its total length from north to 

 south is about 120 miles, and its width varies from 56 

 miles at the base to 15 miles at the termination of the 

 wedge. This strip of land has definite boundaries. 

 To the south its foot-hills sink into the plains of the 

 Punjab ; to the north it rises into massive peaks 

 17,000 feet in height that blend with the still loftier 

 summits of Western Kashmir. Its lateral boundaries 

 are distinct. On the west it is limited by the Indus 

 river and the country of the independent frontier 

 tribes ; on the east it joins the territory of Kashmir. 



The upheaval of the Himalaya has involved the 

 district of Hazara. It has raised its surface into a 

 system of mountain ranges that course across it in 

 parallel folds. From the north-east to the south-west 

 these folds traverse it in successive tiers. The lower 

 ones to the south are clothed in forest ; the higher are 



