70 Tableau of High Asia, [No. 1, 



The cultivation of grain coincides, in most cases, with the highest 

 permanently inhabited villages : hut the extremes of cultivated grain 

 remain below the limit of permanent habitation. In the Himalaya, 

 cultivation of grain does not exceed 11,800 ft., in Tibet 14,700 ft., 

 and in the Kunlun 9,700 ft. For the Andes, the limit is 11,800 ft. ; 

 in the Alps, some of the extremes are found near Tindelen, at a height 

 of 6,630 ft., but the mean is about 5,000 ft. 



The upper mean limit of grass-vegetation is, in the Himalaya, at 

 15,400 ft., in Western Tibet at 16,500 ft. ; in the Kunlun, grass is not 

 found above 14,800 ft. 



Shrubs grow, in the Himalaya, up to 15,200 ft., in Western Tibet, as 

 high as 17,000 ft. On the plateaux to the north of the Karahorum, 

 shrubs are found at 16,900 ft., and, which is more remarkable, they 

 occasionally grow there in considerable quantities on spots entirely 

 destitute of grass. As an example, I mention the Vohab Chilgane 

 plateau (16,419 ft.) and Bashmalgun (14,207 ft.) 



In the Kunlun, the upper limit of shrubs does not exceed 12,700 

 ft. ; above this height grass is still plentiful ; and shrubs being here, 

 as generally everywhere else, confined to a limit below the vegetation 

 of grass, the range presents an essential contrast in this respect to the 

 characteristic aspect of the Karakorum. 



In the Andes, shrubs grow up to 13,420 ft , in the Alps, their upper 

 limit is at 8,000 ft. 



The very extreme limit of phanerogamic plants appeared in Tibet 

 at the north-eastern slopes of the Ibi Gamin pass, at a height of 

 19,809 ft. ; next in order came those of the Gunshankar peak, in 

 Gnari Khorsum, at 19,237 ft. In the Himalaya, the highest plants 

 Were found by us at 17,500 ft., on the slopes of the Jante pass, in 

 Kamaon. 



In the Andes, Colonel Hall found the highest phanerogamic plants 

 on the slopes of Chimborazo, at 15,769 ft., consequently 4,040 ft. 

 lower than the Ibi Gamin plants in Tibet. 



In the Alps, my brothers found an analogous extreme on the south- 

 ern slopes of the Yincent pyramide at 12,540 ft. 



2. Animal life. 

 Monkeys appear to frequent, in the Himalaya, regions exceeding 

 11,000 ft. in height ; the Bemnopiihecus schisiaceus, Hodgs. ascending 



