side as a dry and hot one. The country further south, accordingly, Ues in the rain-shade 

 of the Sayansk mountains, and is therefore rather exsiccated. Over the Tannu-Ola, 

 this dried up land is in connection with and continues directly into the interminable 

 wastes and barren mountain tracts of Mongolia. 



Fig. 49. From the lower part of the Sisti-kem valley. The banks 



grown with Picea obovata. Planus Padus, Sorbus Aacaparia, Ribes 



nigrum, Ribes pubescens, Atiagene sibirica, and Salix. 



Fig. 50. From the Sisti-kem valley near Ust Sisti-kem, about 800m. 



above sea-level. The banks chiefly grown with larch; in the 



background dry declivities, with the first off-shoots of a xerophi- 



lous steppe vegetation. 



78 



