17G It. C. Temple— On Country traversed by Tal Chotiali Force. [June, 
2. Notes on the Formation of the Country passed through hy the 2nd Column, 
Tal Chotiali Field Force, during the march from Kala Abdullah Khan 
in the Khojalc Pass to Lugari Bar Khan, Spring of 1879.— By Lieut. 
R. C. Temple. 
(Abstract.) 
The author commences his paper by describing a remarkable feature to 
be observed all over South Afghanistan, viz., the peculiar gradual slope or glacis 
leading up to the foot of the hills which encompass the numerous valleys 
into which the valley is spolit up. This slope or glacis is generally very 
stony and covered with detritus from the hills, and is cut up by wide shal¬ 
low stony river beds, down which the water rushes with enormous force 
after every heavy fall of rain. It seems likely, therefore, that the slopes 
have been formed by excessive denudation going on in the hills in conse¬ 
quence of their bare and treeless condition. But it is also possible that this 
denudation is helped by the action of frost in the case of hills formed, as 
many of the ranges are, of a slaty shale which is much disintegrated and 
split up near the hill tops. The cold at the summits of these hills, which 
are about 7500 to 8000 feet above sea level, is intense, and the frost separates 
the shale chips to be washed down by the next shower: the appearance 
of the hills seems to justify this hypothesis. 
The author then goes on to make some remarks on the Metals, Salt 
deposits, Want of Trees, Fossil remains in the Shor Valley and about the 
Hanokai and Han Passes, and gives a series of notes on the country along the 
route followed. 
The paper was illustrated with a large collection of upwards of GOO speci¬ 
mens of soils, rocks and fossils collected on the line of march, besides some 
specimens of pottery, and will be published, with a map, in the Journal, Part 
II. 
Mr. II. B. Medlicott remarks as follows upon Lieut. Tempde’s speci¬ 
mens :— 
“ With Dr. Feistmantel’s assistance, I have gone through Mr. Tem¬ 
ple’s specimens, with the following result. 
“ The fossils are exclusively tertiary, none are post-tertiary. They are 
mostly nummulitic ; possibly all of that age. The supposed lizard (No. 
203,) is a detached segment of an echinoderm. 
“ The rocks are mere fragments, and the great majority of them only 
weathered pebbles. A very large proportion of them are of such limestone, 
sandstone and shale as are usual in the tertiary formation. 
“ There is no fragment of granitic or metamorphic rock, unless 121, 
which is crystalline limestone, but this may be only a contact rock. The 
