216 THE AVIFAUNA OF KASHGAR IN WINTER. 



than a few days, except in sheltered and shady localities. 

 Kashgar lies in the western corner of Eastern Turkistan, at an 

 elevation of little above 4,000 feet above the sea. To the north 

 the lower offshoots of the Thianshan mountains are situated 

 at a distance of about 45 miles ; while the higher ridges — 

 averaging about 14,000 feet — begin about 50 miles off. To 

 the west and south the low hills are about 30 miles distant, and 

 the high ranges of the Pamir begin at a distance of about 

 70 miles. Many of the peaks are here covered with eternal 

 snow, and some rise up to, if not above, 25,000 feet. To the 

 south-east towards Yarkand and towards the east, the whole 

 country is an open plain, mostly a desert. About 50 miles 

 east by north of Kashgar are tolerably extensive forests, and 

 further on, about Maralbashi, are numerous swamps covered 

 with hio-h grass. This is the hunting ground of the Tiger and 

 of the Maral, a stag doubtfully identical with the Shao of 

 Tibet ; Ant. gutturosa and several species of Foxes, as well as 

 small indigenous Hares, appear to be numerous. 



Near Kashgar itself cultivated land is very extensive ; but 

 as a rule nothing thrives well except through irrigation. For 

 this purpose there are numerous canals which intersect the 

 country in all directions. The rivers are fed by numerous 

 springs, many of which retain a temperature above the freez- 

 ing point during the whole winter, some of them with a little 

 marshy ground about them. There are no forests in the close 

 neighbourhood. The only large trees are near the houses, two 

 kinds of poplar, P. alba and P. balsamifera. In two or three 

 places a low jungle of these trees extends perhaps for half a 

 mile. Along the streams and watercourses willows and 

 Eleagnus bushes are not uncommon, but they merely fringe 

 the water edge. 



Wherever stagnant water occurs, unless supplied by springs, 

 it may be said to be frozen between the middle of December and 

 the end of February ; but the flowing water of the Kashgar 

 Daria is only partially frozen across the entire breadth of the 

 river. 



I shall now attempt to give a short insight into the Avifauna 

 of our country, somewhat in the manner in which it comes be- 

 fore the observer. Let us see first what creatures we meet 

 round the towns and near habitations, then proceed on to the 

 fields and low jungle, and at last to the grassy swamps and the 

 rivers. In conclusion, I shall add a few notes regarding the 

 Avifauna of the neighbouring valleys in the hills. 



The most familiar bird near the houses is Passer montanns, 

 which here replaces P. indicus. The former species is a perma- 

 nent inhabitant, but some people told me that the Indian 



