FOSSIL KIIINOCEROS OF TIBET. 



185 



of green wood, wliich. descended from the higher peaks 

 in an avalanche, light upon a remain which had a con- 

 temporaneous existence with the Sivatherium in Hindostan, 

 or the Rhinoceros in Tibet ; and it would be a matter of 

 extreme if not insurmountable difficulty to determine to 

 what period of the interval between these upheavements and 

 the present time its envelopment in the snow should be 

 referred. 



The other circumstances mentioned by Mr. TraiU, viz. 

 that roads of communication from E. to W., between the 

 passes formerly used, are now impracticable ; that the zone 

 of perpetual snow is gradually extendmg ; and that ridges 

 which, within the memory of man, were clothed with forest 

 and afforded periodical pasture for sheep, have an obvious 

 and important bearing on the question.^ 



' Memoranda from Mr. Edgeworth, ex- 

 tracted from Dr. Falconer s Note-book. — 

 ' 1. On the Vishnoo Gimga, between 

 Bhadra Nath and Pundoo Kesur, there 

 is an artificial mound, at a place called 

 Kutlean Kotee, which the Puliarees say 

 is the remains of a large hill city, that 

 became deserted in consequence of the 

 increased cold or descent of the snow 

 zone. Charcoal and remains of pottery 

 are found in it, and Edgeworth says the 

 mound is, beyond all doubt, artificial. 

 2. There is a current tradition that for- 



merly there was a straight path between 

 Bliadra Nath and Kedar Nath, which 

 has become impassable, so that a detour 

 of several days is now necessary. — 3. 

 There was formerly a pass up the Bhil- 

 hing river, which led into Tibet. It 

 was last crossed more than fifty years 

 ago, during the Goorka first invasion. 

 Since then an attempt was made to 

 cross it, but the party, of whom Edge- 

 worth's informant was one, were struck 

 with snow-blindness and nearly lost, so 

 that they had to return.' — [Ed.] 



