FEATURES OF THE KAFIR HILLS. 



475 



tion, carrying it up a second time by its wing : the ant was of a 

 large species. 



23rd. — Pastor came in to-day, an elegant bird, eyes nearly white, 

 tinged with grey, legs and beak yellow, base of gape leaden- blue, 

 junction of yellow and blue parts greenish ! 



26th. — Mango bird first seen to-day, another dove came in about 

 the 23rd. Quail coming in, Pastor roseus. 



Every plant from the Kafir hills convinces me that they are 

 Himalayan in their features, and that about this the transition be- 

 tween the American and genuine European forms takes place. Thus 

 I have seen Asperula, two and three European looking Ranunculi. 



Cratcegus, etc. in addition to the other forms, before alluded to. 



There is a rather fine sissoo near Sheargar, it is curious that it is 

 later in coming into leaf than any other tree. Does this indicate its 

 being of a more tropical nature than the others ? on the contrary, the 

 Bukkeim is now in flower, also Citrus. 



The Affghans are fond of Amaryllideae, Gratool, Goolab, and Loni- 

 cera, in the season of the two former, every one met has a bunch 

 placed over each ear. 



Observed to-day a curious monstrosity of the ovula of the Lonicera 

 of this place, from which it is evident, that the ovule represents a bud ; 

 the funicle the stalk ; the teguments convolute leaves, and the nucleus 

 the punctum of growth. 



Every variation was observed, generally the more leafy the outer 

 tegument the greater was the degree of straightness of the funicle, and 

 the abortion of the nucleus. 



29th.— To Chugur-Serai. 



June 5th. — Arrived at Cabul. 



The whole country betweeen Khuggur and Koord Cabul, even 

 including the high ground of this, or Huft-Kotul, presents the same 

 formation, but from Khuggur it rises gradually, and beyond Gunda- 

 muck loses all characters of tabularity, it consists of sand, overlying 

 which is a bed of blocks or often of boulders ; in this sand, which is 

 here and there easily pulverised, (in other places it is pressed as it 

 were into slabs of no great thickness ;) layers or beds of conglomerate 

 frequently occur, either regularly or irregularly; in one case two 

 conglomerated beds approached at an angle and then united. 



The framework or base of the country is generally limestone, 

 sometimes slate which presents every variety of distortion, the strata 

 being often vertical and wavy, no dykes were observed, The older 



