242 WANDERINGS OF A , 



by their wild cries. A few flocks of snow-pheasants were 

 feeding on the bare parts. A colony of red marmots fre- 

 quented the hollow between the mountains, and from the 

 numbers of their buiTows, seemed to have occupied the locality 

 for many years. The day was very hot, and had we not worn 

 goggles, our eyes must have suffered. Several of the followers 

 were attacked with severe inflammation of the eyelids, which 

 became greatly swollen ; but as soon as they had cleared the 

 pass, and entered on the green valley of Nobug-Ney, the symp- 

 toms rapidly disappeared, and the following morning nearly 

 all were fit to proceed with the party. The natives usually 

 fix the leaves of the plane and other trees over their eyes in 

 the form of a shade, which seems to answer very well, 

 but they do not suffer to the extent of fresh arrivals. 

 Our Indian servants were always the first to become 

 affected and the last to get well We cleared the pass 

 by 5 P.M. and entered the forest, debouching into the 

 fine open valley of Nobug-Ney. The advanced state of the 

 vegetation during the interval struck us forcibly ; scarcely a 

 fortnight had elapsed since the trees around the village of 

 Nobug were just budding, and now aU were dressed in their 

 summer attire, offering a cheering contrast to the bare boughs 

 we had left that day on the hiU-sides of Wurdwim. On the 

 following morning we marched through a low range of hills ; 

 the day was warm, and the surrounding scenery of the most 

 enchanting description. I filled my vasculum with many well- 

 known plants ; amongst others we gathered Plantago major, 

 TussUagofarfara (?) (I onlj' found the leaf), common nettle, lad/s 

 mantle, common brake, and Dutch clover; whilst scarlet and 

 white dog-roses bloomed in all their beauty around us. The 

 country was for the most part thickly clad with bush, alter- 

 nating with more open tracts, being the usual description of 



