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NARRATIVE. 
and have glaciers in their valleys. On the south side 
of the valley there is another range, or series of 
ranges, of mountains less lofty and less regular than 
those on the north, and the main stream is fed by 
numerous tributaries which join it on either side at 
short intervals of two to four miles. In some places 
the river expands into a lake, and in these we saw 
numerous broods of the Euddy Shieldrake barely 
able to fly. These birds seem to breed only where 
there are precipitous rocks rising from the water. 
In all the marshy ground plovers were common. 
Patches of grass and Tamarisk-jungle were met with 
at short intervals, and in many places Sedums, Clema- 
tis, and a beautiful yellow Statice were in great 
abundance. One of the most common plants was a 
wild onion, A. junceum, the leaves of which, when 
cooked, turned out to be excellent eating. 
On the morning of the 1st August the minimum 
thermometer, in the open all night, had only fallen to 
30° F. To-day we marched fifteen miles, and had 
time to ford the river, which was effected with some 
difficulty. The heat at midday now became rather 
oppressive — 85° F. at 2 p.m., under an awning — and 
we were annoyed by myriads of insects, some of which 
were so minute as to be almost invisible to the naked 
eye ; they settled in clouds on the hands and face, 
and caused us great discomfort. I heard the chough 
calling, but as I never succeeded in getting a specimen 
in Yarkand, I do not know if it was the same species 
we met with in Ladak. I shot a hare to-day, of the 
same species as those obtained at Chagra, and after this 
hares were seen every day we remained in this valley. 
August 12. — The minimum thermometer fell during 
