1866.] Tableau of High Asia. 69 



the worse upon the feelings. As this was a phenomenon we had not 

 hitherto found mentioned by former observers, we directed our parti- 

 cular attention to it, and remarked instances where fatigue had abso- 

 lutely nothing to do with it. In the plateaux of the Karakorum, it 

 was a common occurrence, even for the sleepers in the tents, where 

 they might be considered as somewhat protected, to be waked up in 

 the night with a heavy feeling of oppression, the entire disturbance 

 being traceable to a breeze, which had sprung up during the hours of 

 rest. 



The effects of diminished atmospheric pressure are considerably 

 aggravated by fatigue. It is surprising to what a degree it is possi- 

 ble for exhaustion to supervene ; even the act of speaking is felt to be 

 a labour, and one gets as careless of comfort as of danger. 



VI. Limits of vegetation and animal life. 

 1. Vegetation. 



In India, the vegetation is not limited by climate in the elevations 

 existing ; the highest peaks, as the Dodabetta (8,640 ft.), in the Nii- 

 giris, the most elevated plateaux are covered with trees, shrubs, and 

 in fact a luxurious vegetation, not only along their slopes, but even 

 on their top. 



In the Himalaya, trees grow very generally up to heights of 11,800 

 ft., and in most parts there are extensive forests covering the sides of 

 the mountains at but a little distance below this limit. Those forests 

 are especially beautiful in the higher valleys of Kamaon and Grarhval 

 in the Bhagirathi valley. 



In Western Tibet, though we did traverse it in various directions, 

 none of us found anything at all corresponding to a forest. Apricot 

 trees, willows, and poplars are frequently cultivated on a large scale ; 

 poplars, indeed, are found at Mangnang, in Griiari Khorsum, still at 

 a height of 13,457 ft. ; but they are the objects of the greatest care 

 and attention to the Lamas. 



In the Kunliln, we found the trees on its northern side not to grow 

 above 9,100 ft. On the northern side, we saw no trees at all ; here 

 the considerable height of the valleys we passed excluded them. 



In the Andes, trees end at about 12,130 ft. ; in the Alps on an aver- 

 age at 6,400 ft., isolated specimens occurring, however, above 7,000 ft- 



