PREFACE. 
On the return to India of the Yarkand Expedition it 
was believed that sufficient materials had been col- 
lected, during the journey, for a paper in some scientific 
journal, on the Zoology and Botany of the countries 
traversed, but in preparing the notes for the press it 
was soon found that their bulk was so great as to 
necessitate a separate volume. 
After everything was ready for publication, the 
Secretary of State for India in Council most liberally 
subscribed for a number of copies of the work, 
sufficient to relieve the Authors of almost all risk. 
The sale of such a work as the present must necessarily 
be very limited. 
The Authors have to acknowledge with thanks the 
assistance they have received from many kind friends. 
Dr. Hooker most liberally allowed the Kew Herba- 
rium to be freely consulted in'' identifying the Bota- 
nical specimens, and he and Mr. Bentham have 
written the descriptions of the new species of flowering 
Plants, all of which have been figured by Mr. Fitch, 
under Professor Oliver's supervision ; and Mr. James 
