eee ee 
RC? 5 
Limit of Perpetual Snow in the Himalaya. 247 
of the perpetual snow can be easily estimated, for on all sides are 
glaciers, and the vast accumulations of snow from which they 
are supplied, and these cannot always be readily distinguished 
rom snow in situ; but as faras I could judge, those places whic 
might be considered as offering a fair criterion were free from 
snow up to 15,000, or even 16,000 feet. 
owards the end of August I crossed the Barjikang Pass, be- 
tween Ralam and Juhar, the elevation of which is about 15,300 feet. 
There was here no vestige of snow on the ascent to the pass from 
the southeast, and only a very small patch remained on the north- 
western face. The view of the continuation of the ridge ina 
southerly direction was cut off by a prominent point, but no 
snow lay on that side within 500 feet of the pass, while to the 
north I estimated that there was no snow in considerable quantity 
within 1500 feet or more, that is, nearly up to 17,000 feet. The 
vegetation on the very summit of the pass was far from scanty, 
though it had already begun to break up into tufts, and had lost 
that character of continuity which it had maintained to within a 
height of 500 or 600 feet. Species of Potentilla, Sedum, Saxa- 
fraga, Corydalis, Aconitum, Delphinium, Thalictrum, Ranunculus, 
aussurea, Gentiana, Pedicularis, Primula, Rheum, and Polygo- 
num, all evidently flourishing in a congenial climate, showed 
that the limits of vegetation and region of perpetual snow were 
still far distant. 
In addition to these facts it may not be out of place to mention 
that there are two mountains visible from Almorah, Rigoli-gidri, 
in Garhwal between the Kailganga and Nandakni, and Chipula, 
in Kumaon, between Gori and Dauli (of Darma), both upwards 
of 13,000 feet in elevation, from the summits of which, the snow 
disappears long before the end of the summer months, and which 
do not usually again become covered for the winter till late in 
December.” 
These remarks are followed by an exposition of the errors into 
which Webb, Colebrooke, Hodgson, A. Gerard, and Jacquemont, 
have fallen. The heights assigned by these travellers ‘‘ must all 
rejected; nor can it be considered at all surprising that any 
amount of mistake, as to the height of the snow-line, should be 
Made, so long as travellers cannot distinguish snow from glacier 
ice, or look for the boundary of perpetual snow at the beginning 
of the spring.” 
: With regard to the northern limit of the belt of perpetual snow, 
Lieutenant Strachey’s observations were made in September, 
1848, on his way from Milam into Hundes, vid Untadhira, Ky- 
ungar-ghat, and Balch-dhira, at the beginning of the month; 
ce = his road back again, vid Lakhur-ghat, at the end of the 
ni 
