_ 44 — 



the Caspian are not beautiful, but low, round and arid- 

 looking, they appear, as if scorched by the intense sunshine. 

 No green was to be seen anywhere. It was delightful to get 

 ashore and to glean our first impressions of nature in Asia. 

 Plants were there on the mountains, although rather scat- 

 tered; Gagea, Tetradiclis, Arnebia are here with many others, 

 these are representative of three important forms of desert 

 life: Geophytes, Halophytes and Annual Spring-Plants. There 

 is scarcely time to observe more as the train soon starts 

 eastwards and we bid the sea farewell for a long time to 

 come. We pass through and across brown stony hills and 

 flats with scattered bluish grey or green tufts of plants, foot- 

 high Umbellifers and low leafless bushes. Then the sun sets. 

 Next morning brings the finest sight we ever saw, the earth 

 is covered with flowers, glowing poppies and tulips, green 

 grass and Irises and many other flowers. Great flocks of birds 

 soar in the air, and camels graze among the cupola-like 

 "kibitkas" of the Turkomans. Towards the north the view 

 is open, but to the south the low slaty heights of the Kopet 

 Dagh on the Persian border, obstruct the view. 



We enjoyed this beautiful scene all day. Next day all 

 was changed, for now the train speeds through the awe- 

 inspiring waste of the sand-desert. It is as Radde has said, 

 a stormy sea frozen into stillness; enormous ocean-waves 

 without motion, only the foam on the crests is active, it is 

 the sand rising in clouds like smoke. As far as the eye can 

 reach all is greyish-brown sand. Not a plant! Yes there is 

 one, a grass on the top of a dune, its coarse leaves lashed 

 by the wind. More come into view and then we look 

 curiously at the Switch-plants. They stand in the loose sand 

 which is whirled round them and their slender leafless 

 branches are driven before the wind. In reality there are 

 several species but thej' are all alike switches or rather 

 small leafless birch brooms, and they are leafless, or look so 

 at first sight. 



Then the train passes the Oxus or Amu Darya whose 

 brown water coming from the Pamirs flows below us while we 

 slowly cross the long bridge, which extends to 3 kilometres. 



