— 118 — 
Another illustration may be given from Ak-jar on the 
left river-bank, where the thickets attain a width of about 
70 metres. Nearest the river the thicket consists of Erianthus 
Ravennae, interspersed with Halimodendron argenteum. The 
latter extends farther inland than Erianthus, and towards the 
desert it becomes intermingled with Tamarix laxa; this plant 
is absent from the outer part of the thicket nearest the river 
but forms the whole of the inland half, growing as scattered 
bushes about 2 metres high and interspersed with Alhagi 
Camelorum. Alhagi also extends into the desert, or one might 
say that it passes from the desert into the thickets, for, al- 
though never seen in the most barren desert, it must be 
regarded as a true desert plant. This is also the case with 
Halostachys caspica, it may be strongly developed in the 
thickets, but it is especially widespread in the salt-desert 
(see p. 113). Zygophyllum Eichwaldii, Lycium turcomannicum and 
Halimodendron argenteum are occasionally desert plants con- 
fined to clay soils, but in my opinion they are more exacting 
in their demands and belong to more favourable habitats 
such as the riverside thickets. 
The plants which are more definitely restricted to the 
river banks are: Erianthus, Saccharum, Calamagrostis, the 
poplars, the willows and Elaeagnus, with the addition of the 
marsh-plants. A few of these, however, occasionally migrate 
from the river-banks, thus I have seen a weakly form of 
Phragmites with short aerial runners, along with Calamagrostis 
pseudophragmites on a slightly saline plain near Chodsheli; 
the occurrence of Populus pruinosa in the desert is des- 
cribed in chapter 11. 
In conclusion we give a translation of ANToNow’s descrip- 
tion of the transition from the thickets towards the deserts 
(kept SI): 
«These thickets quickly become more stunted and poorer 
at each step we take from the river towards the loess-plain. 
Only a few Sashen') from the river, the bush-forms of 
Chenopodiaceae put in an appearance comparatively well- 
1) 1 Sachen (fathom) == about 215 metres — 3 Arshin. 1 Verst = 
about 1067 metres — 500 Sashén. 
