1857.] Report on the Progress of the Magnetic Survey. 121 



dry haze particularly frequent when we were on the plateau to the 

 north of Karakorum. 



The height of the clouds is generally very great. Even during the 

 rain, which fell from the 25th to the 28th July, it exceeded 17,000 

 feet. "Fogs in the valley of the Indus at 11,800 feet were observed 

 only once on the 23rd September, ou which day the rain began 

 at 1-10 A. M. Its temperature was, when it first fell, 4.6° 0. = 8°. 3 

 Fahr. below the temperature of the air, (air, 7.9° rain 3.3° C.) ; it 

 only reached the temperature of the air at 9 a. m., when the 

 psychrometer had also become equal to the temperature of the air. 



The daily variations of the barometer, also at heights of 17,500 

 feet bar. 385 millimeters, had still the same form as at lesser 

 elevations, showing particularly a decided minimum near 4 p. M. 

 The difference between the daily extremes reached then only 2.5° 

 millimeters. Also at lower elevations, such as 11,000 to 12,000 feet, 

 we found the variation of the barometer very small : at Leh, the 

 difference between the two greatest extremes observed in three 

 months, was only five millimeters. 



"Vegetation, Animals. 



The number of species of plants, as well as the number of indi- 

 viduals, is exceedingly limited on the higher parts of the Kuenluen. 

 Lichens are completely wanting in the dry angular gravel covering 

 the high plateau and slopes of the mountains in their neighbour- 

 hood ; they are only to be found among the moraines, which are 

 generally moister. More surprising still is the abundance of vegeta- 

 tion, particularly of grass on the most northern slopes descending 

 to the valley of the Yarkand and its northern tributaries. But 

 even there, the number of species is smaller than at first sight we 

 were led to expect. The increase of vegetation seems to coincide 

 with the increase of rain mentioned above. 



Birds, even birds of prey, are exceedingly scarce in the central 

 parts. Quadrupeds are much more numerous. We found wild 

 yaks, the existence of which in the wild state has been doubted, 

 Kiangs, five or six species of wild sheep and goats, hares and mice, 

 as high as 16,000 to 17,000 feet. Their number as well as the 

 variety of species is remarkably great when compared with the great 

 scarcity of vegetation. 



