Journals of Travels in Assam, Burma, Bhootan, Afghanistan and the Neighbouring Countries Part 57

It is obvious between Kooner and Cabul, that the transition from absolutely treeless mountains to well-wooded ones occurs nearer to Kooner than Cabul, because the Hindoo-koosh about Cabul, and to the eastward, is said to be treeless.

How interesting will the examination of these woods be, how different will be their flora from that of Khora.s.san proper!

To define the Khora.s.san Province also, by its being dest.i.tute of wood or trees. Note its pa.s.sing off from this character between Ghuzni and Quettah, see Marryott's letter about Kooner, compare with _Mazenderam_ _forests_. Fine plane trees occur here, all the vines are trained on mulberries. What is Burnes' holly oak, or lily oak?

Rubus occurs, Ranunculus stolonifolia, a cold season plant, Euphorbia ditto, and the usual Peshawur forms.

_28th_.--Fine weather; clouds however, still flying about.

_29th_.--A fine morning; in the afternoon threatening, night cloudy, all the clouds come down the ravine! except when the wind occasionally s.h.i.+fts to west.

_30th_.--Fine weather, although still unsettled. I procured the other day a few specimens of trees from the hills to the south of this, among these which amount only to a few, are one Myrtus, an Olenia, both of which bear me out in a.s.suming that the woody vegetations of these hills will present a curious transition between the genuine Australio-European and the Himalayan forms.

_31st_.--Almost every isolated rock in this country is covered with ruins which vary much in extent, and are often barely perceptible, but careful looking will detect them in all situations about gorges, and such places.

From the rivers running under rocks, the paths which must be resorted to, at least at this season, are very difficult. It would be curious to speculate on the different state of preservation of these ruins, and the singular people to whom they are due.

The soil of this valley is very deep in places: in one place on the opposite side of the river, it is twenty-five feet at least, the depth obviously diminis.h.i.+ng towards the bed of the river, or the lowest part of the valley.

[Section through river valley: m440.jpg]

In this valley, at least about here, curious round thatched huts are visible about villages, intended for religious females, they are closed except at a small door.

Cotton much cultivated.

The _Jala_, or float skins used for crossing rivers, are inflated by _bellows_ of the usual description, this causes delay as some require to be inflated very often owing to the eagerness of those who want to be ferried over, and who rush indiscriminately on the _Jala_ which, from the rafts being few and far apart, occasion delay; such ferries were not intended for impatient travellers; nothing can show the want of intelligence of the people more than this abominably slow method of crossing rivers; here, there is little excuse for it, as wood is abundant.

The Culminating peak to the west of the north Dhurrah, shows that here, as elsewhere, snow lies longer on the north than south sides: it also affords a curious instance of the various disposition of snow: those angles of its faces presented to the south having none, or little snow; or does this depend upon the faces having different declivities?

_February 1st_.--First part of last night clear; but the wind s.h.i.+fting from west to north-east, has again thoroughly clouded the sky, night beautifully clear, no rain, and no wind during the day.

_2nd_.--A windy but clear night, succeeded by a beautiful morning, wind as usual, north-east or thereabouts, i.e. down the river.

I have seen it mentioned somewhere, that in arid climates the only support of vegetable life exists in the dews, which are hence, at least in the cases alluded to, supposed to be providential adaptations to supply certain deficiencies. But considering that dews consist of nothing but a deposition of moisture: it follows that in very arid climates, as there is no moisture, so there can be no dews. For the deposition of a dew, the fist essential thing, is moisture, either in the ground or in the air, this last may have been derived from the ground. If neither the ground nor the air contain moisture, no dews can exist, this is the case in Khora.s.san.

Throughout the whole campaign no dews were noticed, although the nights were almost uniformly serene and calm, and the time chosen for marching, would have certainly brought us in contact with them had they been deposited. Dews therefore do not form in Khora.s.san, _with these_ _exceptions_, that wherever from the nature, and the level of the soil, water was found very near the surface, dews were deposited; as on the _Chummums_ or low marshy pasturages at Candahar, Cabul, etc.

But even these were trifling, the aridity of the air being too great as compared with the small extent of Chummums, to allow the deposit of any considerable portion of the moisture it had derived from the ground.

So that aridity, instead of being adapted to dews, is a serious obstacle to their ever appearing. With the rarity of dew, that of h.o.a.rfrost which is nothing but frozen dew, may be a.s.sociated; nor does h.o.a.rfrost often occur, because in Khora.s.san it rains in the winter too freely, particularly in all such places whose elevation is not sufficient to cause the formation of snow, and hence where other circ.u.mstances are favourable for h.o.a.rfrosts, _they are too much watered_ as it were, and seldom occur. With extreme aridity, Khora.s.san unites extreme electricity, the casual friction of woollen cloths, especially those of camels' hair being accompanied by discharges sufficiently startling. The same thing happens when caressing dogs or horses. I could never fill the barometer without experiencing a shock as the mercury approached the _bottom end_ of the tube, which (when nervous) used to endanger it.

It is this extreme aridity that gives Khora.s.san so rich a spring flora, this season being that of rain, of melting of snow, and the ground being well moistened.

It is this extreme aridity that necessitates the abundance of bulbous plants in Khora.s.san, these deposits of nutrition existing even in several of its Compositae.

Query--Why are Carduaceae, (Artemisia) so adapted to aridity?

The region of Carduaceae, commences about Ghuzni, and extends to _Maidan_ or Cabul, it is at its maximum about Shaikabad and Huftasya. The abundance of Carduaceae on the higher grounds, as for instance towards Bamean, belong rather to a vernal flora.

I hope to be particular in hereafter comparing the floras of all the deserts? and to notice the absurd remarks of some travellers in Khoristhan, on the domesticated parasitic nature of the watermelon plant, on the Hedysarum Alhagi, _Shooturkari_.

_3rd_.--Fine moderate north-east wind, very clear.

_4th_.--Over-clouded.

_5th_.--Rain.

_6th_.--Unsettled.

_7th_.--Rain, thunder, distant lightning occasionally last night.

_8th_.--Fine: ice in the morning, thermometer five feet from the ground 35 degrees at 7 A.M.

_9th_.--Fine diffused clouds last night, succeeded by a strong northeast wind.

_10th_.--Fine.

_11th_.--Fine in the morning, then threatening.

_12th_.--Quite over-clouded, north-east wind. The inferior level of snow is now several hundred feet above that which it was at first.

Oxalis corniculata in abundance, what an universal plant this is.

All the natives of these parts wear sandals, those about the Khyber being made of the leaves of a small Chamaerops, which is common on the rocks of those mountains.

A proof of the extreme want of useful plants is seen in the fact, that baskets are scarcely ever seen, all the loads of flour, etc. being invariably carried in skins.

Leopards' skins for the purpose are obtained from Chugur Serai, Pullung and also Sofaid-Koh.

_16th_.--The troops marched on their return. A lark very much like the English species occurs in flocks; it is a stupid bird, although obviously aware of its resemblance to clods of earth, which it makes use of on every occasion when a little frightened. The Gypaetos is also found here; it feeds princ.i.p.ally on carrion. I observed Trichrodroma for the first time here to-day, this bird is by no means a powerful climber; indeed the individual seen to-day could only cling, he was employed about sand banks of the irrigating ca.n.a.ls, etc. hopping from one likely spot to another, clinging here and there momentarily, and always aiding himself in his inclined position by a flutter of his wings; holes seemed always to attract him. It is by no means a shy bird. I should observe however that I have seen this species running up and down cliffs, so that perhaps the rather loose sand would not give firm hold to his claws.

As I mentioned elsewhere, this bird is allied, at least in a.n.a.logy to Upupa, it has its precise habit of flight and a good deal of its habits in looking for food, although the Hoopoe pokes about in the ground, or rather hammers the ground alone. It is however fond of building in holes of walls, it breeds at Punukka, in April.

I observed, and shot a weasel, or a _mungoose_ to-day, whilst it was employed feeding on the cast away skin of a goat or sheep, so that some of these creatures evidently feed occasionally on carrion, although they are said to live upon live prey.

CHAPTER XIX.

_On the Reproductive Organs of Acotyledonous plants_.

_17th_.--Fine weather, the sun daily increasing in power, is having a remarkable effect on the peculiar spring vegetation, but this is not sufficiently developed to bring in the corresponding birds and insects.

Gypaetos is common now about the dead camels.

On the low east ridge, along the path that leads over the river, ruins of ancient times are discernible, this only adds another to the many proofs of similarly situated ruins, that the people who built them have been located about Cabul, Jallalabad, and Peshawur, certainly not about Candahar.

In the soil between the rocks, and in their crevices saturated with moisture, most of the plants are just sprouting. Trichonema, Crocus, and one or two other monocotyledons, l.a.b.i.atae? Sedum three or four species, exclusive of Sedoides foliis deltoides sphathulatis, and a Stapelioid Asclepias, are to be found. I also got a new fern, the fourth species out of 1,300 sp. it is a Ceterach or Grammitis, a curious stalked snuff- ball, and one or two other Fungi, with an inverted cap, were met with.