1849.] On the Snow-line in the Himalaya. 295 



east, and only a very small patch remained on the north-western face. 

 The view of the continuation of the ridge in a southerly direction was 

 cut off by a prominent point, but no snow lay on that side within 500 

 feet of the pass ; while to the north I estimated that there was no snow 

 in considerable quantity within 1 500 feet or more, that is nearly up to 

 17,000 feet. The vegetation on the very summit of the pass was far 

 from scanty, though it had already begun to break up into tufts, and 

 had lost that character of continuity which it had maintained to within 

 a height of 500 or 600 feet. Species of Potentilla, Sedum, Saxifraga, 

 Corydalis, Aconitum, Delphinium, Thalictrum, Ranunculus, Saussurea, 

 Gentiana, Pedecularis, Primula, Rheum and Polygonum, all evidently 

 flourishing in a congenial climate, showed that the limits of vegetation 

 and region of perpetual snow were still far distant. 



In addition to these facts it may not be out of place to mention, that 

 there are two mountains visible from Almora, Rigoli-gudri in Garhwal, 

 between the Kailganga and Nandakni, and Chipula in Kumaon, between 

 the Gori and Dauli (of Darma), both upwards of 13,000 feet in eleva- 

 tion, from the summits of which the snow disappears long before 

 the end of the summer months, and which do not usually again become 

 covered for the winter till late in December. 



The authorities cited by M. Humboldt in his Asie Centrale, give the 

 following heights to the snow-line on the southern slope of the Hima- 

 laya.* 



Toises. English feet. 



Webb, 1954, or 12,500 



Colebrooke, 2032 — 13,000 



Hodgson, 2110 — 13,500 



A. Gerard, 2080 — 13,300 



Jacquemont, 1800—1 1,500 



Webby Colebrooke, Hodgson. Immediately before the list of heights 

 just given, M. Humboldt quotes the following part of a letter from 

 Mr. Colebrooke : " There is a paper of mine in the Journal of the 

 Royal Institution for 1819 (Vol. 17, No. 13) on the limit of snow. I 

 deduced from the materials which I had that the limit of constant 



* Asie Centrale, T. 3. p. 295. I take no account of the height assigned by 

 M. M. Hugel and Vigne, as they do not refer to the region to which I confine my- 

 self. 



2 Q 



