72 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. IX. 



Baltal is a little over 9,000 feet. There is no village here ; only one or two 

 huts occupied by the dak runners between Kashmir and Leh. On the day 

 following my arrival at Baltal I explored for some miles the valley to the 

 south leading to Amarnath. For considerable distances the river is completely 

 covered over with snow. Further up we came to a place where, owing to the 

 absence of snow bridges, it was impossible to proceed further. Many interest- 

 ing plants were collected in this valley. 



The Zoji La is rather a dangerous pass when covered with snow ; otherwise 

 there is no difficulty whatever. I crossed over on the 29th June, at which 

 time there was no snow on the road. 



The views from the summit looking north and south are striking from their 

 contrast. On the northern side the mountains are bare and rocky, and there 

 is not a tree to be seen in the valley leading to Dras ; whereas on the Kashmir 

 side the Sind Valley is beautifully wooded. The different climatal conditions 

 prevailing on the Dras side are indicated by the presence of many Tibetan 

 plants ; also by the whistling cry of the marmot. The top of the pass is 

 11,287 feet. Some interesting plants were found on the ridge to the west of 

 the pass up to 12,000 feet. 



After descending the valley for a few miles I made another detour towards 

 the east, and collected a variety of specimens near a glacier at about 13,000 feet. 



My camp was pitched at Minimarg, 4 miles further down the valley ; and 

 many new plants were collected on the way. 



Before reaching Minimarg we passed a very promising-looking valley 

 towards the east, called Suk nullah, which I explored on the following day, the 

 camp in the meantime having been moved down the valley to Mataiyan. The 

 view looking up towards the pass is very fine. The sides of the valley here 

 are very precipitous, and apparently quite bare of vegetation. 



Between Mataiyan and Pandras the road crosses from the right to the left 

 bank. A tall aromatic fennel-like plant, called " A'pat Kanphur " (Ferula 

 foeschleeana), is very abundant in this part of the valley. It is much valued 

 by Kashmiris as a fodder plant, and is cut for winter use. On the Pir Panjal 

 it is called " Kangwa." The valley suddenly opens out before reaching Dras, 

 an unimportant-looking place consisting of a few scattered hamlets. There is, 

 however, a small fort here, also a Tehsil and Post Office. The elevation is just 

 under 10,000 feet. The surrounding mountains are very bare and rocky. 

 Trees are scarce ; only a few willows and poplars are to be seen near the 

 villages. I halted for one day, and left on the 3rd of July with a new set of 

 ponies and coolies. 



The road to Leh continues down the valley in an easterly direction. This 

 is also the ordinary route to SkSrdu, but a very hot one during the summer 

 months. The route which I took is a high-level one, and much more interest- 

 ing for botanical exploration. 



After crossing the valley in a north-westerly direction through fields of 

 buck-wheat, masur (Lens esculenta), etc., the road begins to rise in zig-zags 



