KUBAN TAHTARY. 
14 
chap, thermometer was .placed, with the greatest 
' — v — -j caution, in the shade. 
Traveling. Throughout all this part of Kuban Tahtary, 
a traveller with a light carriage may proceed at 
the rate ot one hundred and thirty English miles 
in a day. With our burthened vehicle, notwith- 
standing the numerous delays occasioned by 
search for plants and animals, we performed 
seventy miles in the course of twelve hours. 
We passed several lakes : one of these, from 
its remarkable appellation, deserves notice : it 
was called Beys Eau, “ Prince’s Water eau 
being pronounced exactly as by the French, 
and signifying the same thing. Bey is a very 
common Oriental word for a Prince. A village 
near this lake was called Bey’s eau hoy. We 
noticed also some corn-mills, worked by under- 
shot wheels ; and antient Tumuli, as usual, in 
the perspective. Among the birds, swallows 
appeared the most numerous. One vast plain 
was entirely covered by swarms of these birds, 
evidently assembling in preparation for a mi- 
gratory flight to some other country. Wild 
swans, geese, and ducks, were in great num- 
bers. But the most frequent objects were, as 
Tumuli, usual, the Tumuli. From their great number, 
it might be supposed that they were occasionally 
raised as marks of guidance across these im- 
I 
