50 A CONTRIBUTION TO THE ORNITHOLOGY 
Redstart. Near our encampment I found large numbers of 
Hill Pigeons (Columba rupicola), of which I shot six in about 
half an hour.—About sunset I ascended the terrace to our right 
and bagged a fine blue-rumped hare, among the stones, 
and another pigeon. 
A good many of our people complain of “dam,” although the 
elevation of this place is only 14,870 feet ; poor Dr. Stoliezka 
died here ashort time ago on his return journey from Yarkand 
12th.— Murghu to Burtsé.—I woke up once last night feeling 
a most urgent besoin de respirer, and had to sit up for a little 
while before I recovered from my breathlessness. On waking up 
this morning I found that it was snowing steadily—a condition 
of affairs which has gone on all day long, “almost without inter- 
mission—but the snow not lying much on the ground. We began 
the march by ascending the platform of conglomerate to the left of 
Murghu, and after riding a short distance came upon a warm 
spring gushing up from the ground. The water was collected in 
a sort of tank which gave off two small streams, and a great 
quantity of light-green slimy looking weed was growing in 
it. A little further on we descended into a ravine through 
which a stream was running down from the north, to find its 
way ultimately into the Shayok River. We crossed the stream 
and pursued our way to the right of it, alternately ascending and 
descending along the face of some very steep slopes composed 
usually of loose shingle. At last we got down to the stream 
again and followed ‘its course, walking over huge blocks of 
stones—the roughest ground I have yet seen. A slight ascent 
then brought us “suddenly into a wide gravelly plain, bounded on 
each side by very high limestone mountains with sharp peaks 
and caves here and there in the hill sides, down which a small 
stream was flowing towards us in several branches. We con- 
tinued along this ‘plain to our camp here which is 15,690 feet 
high. Our tents are pitched on a dnall bank a -few feet higher 
than the gravel plain, and near us there is some “ Burtsé ” 
(Zurotia) plant growing—almost the only trace of vegetation 
we have seen during to- -day’s march. The halting place has 
been called after this plant. 
On the road to-day I got a couple of curious round balls 
looking like stone, but which are said to be corals. 
13¢h.— Burtsé to Kizil Ungur.—Rather a heavy fall of snow 
last night, and a minimum temperature of 21°. A short march to- 
day as our tents are wet and very heavy for the horses to carry ; 
another of the poor beasts died last night. Our road was along 
the gravel plain all the way, precisely like the last part of yester- 
day’: s march, and hardly a trace of vegetation anywhere. On the 
way I saw several blue Hill Pigeons “and a single solitary Snipe 
