562 Correspondence. 



vellers have done before; we are not told to what formation the 

 limestone belongs, but the author flatters himself that the elevation 

 of its locality, viz. 16,800 feet, is probably the highest at which fossils 

 occur ; no reason is given for such a belief, and that probably be- 

 cause none can be given ; it may very possibly be the greatest eleva- 

 tion at which he has ever met with them, but did not Gerard dis- 

 cover fossils at nearly 18,000 feet? We have an idea that he did. 

 The absence of trees and the more rounded appearance of the hills 

 on the northern side of the Himalayas strike our author, as appears 

 to have been the case with every previous traveller, but nothing new is 

 elicited from his observations. We are told, however, that " deep ra- 

 vines occur, which drain off all the melted snow water." This fact 

 is only novel in so far as regards its appearance among the observa- 

 tions of a scientific writer, but may we be allowed to ask, if " melt- 

 ed snow water ever takes any other channel of escape in other 

 countries ? We have always been led in our ignorance to suppose 

 that such ravines were the natural and only outlets for the waters ! 

 We should also wish to know, in what respect " melted snow water" 

 differs from " melted snow," for if, as we imagine, they are but one 

 and the same thing, we would suggest the propriety of using the 

 latter term for the future, it having the decided advantage of being 

 English, which the former as decidedly has not ! 



" The Burhal," called by our author " Ovis nahor" in contradic- 

 tion we presume of Mr. Blyth, who long since called it " Ovis bur- 

 rhel," (the " O. nahoor" being according to him a distinct species, 

 in which opinion albeit we are more than half inclined to coincide) 

 is said to occur on " both sides, being met with in flocks of twenty 

 and thirty from Mulari on the British or northern (!) side of the 

 Himalayas, (we have always been under the impression, that we 

 were living on the southern side of the Himalayas !) up to the pass, 

 and on the Thibet side it is equally common." 



There is another species of wild sheep met with in Tartary which 

 we are informed, is nearly allied to the " Ovis amnion of Siberia ;" 

 no wonder, seeing that the animals are identical ! 



The fact of this identity was many years ago suspected by Mr. 

 Hodgson, when resident in Nepaul, and has since we believe, been 

 verified by Mr. Blyth, of the Asiatic Society in Calcutta, and yet our 



