Journals of Travels in Assam, Burma, Bhootan, Afghanistan and the Neighbouring Countries Part 63

The Edolius is here the earliest and the latest daily bird. I observed several to-day on a tree making a great noise with their harsh chirp, at each chirp the tail was for the instant jerked out like a fan.

_17th_.--A single parrot seen flying overhead.

_19th_.--What is the bodily strength of man to that of insects! I have just been watching an ant dragging the body of a hornet, many times larger than itself, up a door with the greatest ease; so much so, that after dragging it up three feet, it came down to alter its position, carrying it up a second time by its wing: the ant was of a large species.

_23rd_.--Pastor came in to-day, an elegant bird, eyes nearly white, tinged with grey; legs and beak yellow, base of gape leaden-blue, junction of yellow and blue parts greenis.h.!.+

_26th_.--Mango bird first seen today, another dove came in about the 23rd. Quail coming in, Pastor roseus.

Every plant from the Kafir hills convinces me that they are Himalayan in their features, and that about this the transition between the American and genuine European forms takes place. Thus I have seen Asperula, two and three European looking Ranunculi.

Cratoegus, etc. in addition to the other forms, before alluded to.

There is a rather fine _sissoo_ near Sheargar, it is curious that it is later in coming into leaf than any other tree. Does this indicate its being of a more tropical nature than the others? on the contrary, the Bukkeim is now in flower, also Citrus.

The Affghans are fond of Amaryllideae, _Gratool_, _Goolab_, and Lonicera, in the season of the two former, every one met has a bunch placed over each ear.

Observed to-day a curious monstrosity of the ovula of the Lonicera of this place, from which it is evident, that the ovule represents a bud; the funicle the _stalk_; the teguments convolute leaves, and the nucleus the punctum of growth.

Every variation was observed, generally the more leafy the outer tegument the greater was the degree of straightness of the funicle, and the abortion of the nucleus.

_29th_.--To Chugur-Serai.

_June 5th_.--Arrived at Cabul.

The whole country between Khuggur and Koord Cabul, even including the high ground of this, or Huft-Kotul, presents the same formation, but from Khuggur it rises gradually, and beyond Gundamuck loses all characters of tabularity, it consists of sand, overlying which is a bed of blocks or often of boulders; in this sand, which is here and there easily pulverised, (in other places it is pressed as it were into slabs of no great thickness;) layers or beds of conglomerate frequently occur, either regularly or irregularly; in one case two conglomerated beds approached at an angle and then united.

The framework or base of the country is generally limestone, sometimes slate which presents every variety of distortion, the strata being often vertical and wavy, no d.y.k.es were observed. The older rocks are generally completely covered by sand and s.h.i.+ngle, or stones; but as we approach the boundaries of the valleys, they protrude into ridges, often of considerable size and height. The valleys however are not entirely bounded by these to the west, for as I have said, the plain of Koord Cabul is reached by crossing undulations of this same formation. From Khuggur to Gundamuck, about five stony steppes are crossed, each rising in height above the last, and each separated by deep ravines, with one or both banks generally precipitous, affording exit to streamlets from the Sofaid-Koh. It is curious that the streamlets, and streams about Gundamuck have not worn themselves half as deep channels as those about Khuggur, although no appreciable difference is apparent in the strata.

The surface is often rendered rugged in places by the occurrence of loose slabs, which give the appearance of stratification to the rocks.

It appears to me that the whole of the extreme eastern Khora.s.san originally was a bed of stones or boulders, overlying a formation of pure sand, and that its irregular surface is due to the subsequent upheavement of the foundation ridges. The good soil is in such case necessarily confined to the immediate neighbourhood of the streams, etc. descending from those ridges.

The following is a section exposed on the north boundary of the valley, not far from Jugdulluck:--

[Section of valley near Jugdulluck: m476.jpg]

The whole tract is devoid of trees, until one nears Jugdulluck, when not only the foundation rocks, but also the stony undulated hills are dotted with stunted trees of Baloot and Xanthoxylon. Tufted Andropogoneous gra.s.ses form the prevailing feature, AErua also is common along the streams: and wherever the ground retains moisture, Typha latifolia abounds with the usual frequenters of watery spots. The road to Gundamuck, especially the ascent of the two last steppes, is infamous; but the regular Jallalabad road is good, having only one descent to Neemla, and an easy ascent from that place, and thence it is over a gentle declivity to Futtehabad.

The spurs from the Sofaid-Koh are very numerous, and the ravines they form show the great quant.i.ty of water derived from this ridge, their direction is N. 45, E. The direction of the streams after emerging from the lower ridges continues about the same.

The Cabul and Soorkhab rivers debouche at a much greater angle. Their direction being 95, E. The waters of both are turbid, but those of the latter are reddish.

Throughout the valley of Jallalabad cultivation extends alone along the streams, many of which are entirely consumed by agricultural processes; in no place does it bear any proportion to the uncultivated portion, which is invariably densely strewed with stones, the smaller of which are generally water-worn; the larger, ma.s.ses of angular rock.

White mulberries ripen in perfection at Gundamuck in the early part of July. There is more cultivation about Khuggur occurring in a continuous and broadish tract, than in almost any other place.

I observed a curious tendency to anastomosis, or self-grafting in the roots of Morus: this in its young state often has pinnatifid artacarpoid leaves. Query, is this a sign of the greater development of Morus? or is it in any way a.n.a.logous to that progressive development existing during the growth of every animated being?

At Gundamuck observed Oriolus; it differs in plumage and voice from the Indian Mango bird, which is a far more beautiful bird, with only one note: Edolius also seen.

Pastor and the other common birds. Merops was seen soaring over stones, and stooping at insects; in such situations it remains long on the wing; it does not appear to perch on any thing but withered branches.

Composita Senecionoides occurs about Soorkhab, Reaumuria occurs half-way between it and Gundamuck. Capparis continues to Soorkhab. Statices common, also Campanula; and about Jugdulluck a striking Boragineous plant, Boraginiae sp., and on the sandy pa.s.s above Barkhab, a Salvia is found in profusion, one of the commonest gra.s.ses is Poa _cynosuroides_?

The stem of Hippuris is worth examination, inasmuch as it consists of a central easily separable axis, and a vertical system of great thickness, highly cellular, so that judging _a priori_, as these cells (which are compound) occupy the whole s.p.a.ce between the ligneous system and the cutis, no longitudinal vessels can exist in that part which represents the bark.

_15th_.--Cabul. Glycyrrhiza thermopsoides frequently presents on the non- flowering stems, a pod-like transformation of the uppermost leaves.

In Centaurea _cyanea_, the disposition of the limb of the ray is such that the incomplete part or the fissure is outside. This is exactly opposite to the disposition of the same part in true Ligulatae.

Judging from Centaurea, the smaller lip of the bil.a.b.i.ate species of Compositae ought to be situated outside.

Erythraeoides, Glauca floribus albidis occurs on the _Chummums_.

_16th_.--Regaled with a library: "Calumny and detraction," says Boerhaave, "are sparks, which if you do not blow them, will go out of themselves."--_Murphy's Johnston_, Vol. IX. p.34.

In Johnston's Life of Drake, p.99 to 100, are some admirable remarks on those minds, that disapprove of every strikingly novel scheme, and from which a good motto might be chosen, should any national system be proposed in Botany.

What were Sir Thomas Browne's five sorts of vegetables, and what were his remarks on the form of plants and laws of vegetation?--_See Johnston's_ _Works_, Vol. IX. p.296.

CHAPTER XXI.

_From Cabul to Kohi-Baba_.

_July 17th_.--Proceeded from Cabul to Shah Bagh; cloudy weather, occasionally a very slight shower during the last few days, depending probably on the Punjab rains. To-day, observed a small green caterpillar, climbing up a fine thread, like a spider's web, which hung from the fly of the tent; its motions were precisely those of climbing, the thread over which it had pa.s.sed was acc.u.mulated between its third pairs of legs; it did not use its mouth.

I did not ascertain whether the thread was its own production or not; if it was, it must have come out of its tail.

_24th_.--The fish in the Cabul river here are, a Loach, an Oreinus, and a Barbel; none of these grow to any size, as there is but little water left in the river in consequence of the drain for extensive cultivation on both the east and west sides of the city.

Small specimens of these fish, especially the Loach and Oreinus, are found in the ca.n.a.ls or larger watercuts, in which the current is slow and regular. It is curious that in the ca.n.a.l near the Shah Bagh, which has been lately turned off above the Cantonment, all the specimens of the Loach left in the pools of water were dead, while the Oreinus did not appear to have suffered.

This Loach is a Cobitis propria, it has the usual form of that genus, the spots are disposed irregularly, rarely becoming banded. The shape of the head is curious, the forehead being prominent, this gives the mouth an appearance of unusual depression. {479}

The country both on the east and west sides of Cabul may have been formerly a lake. Such indeed would seem to have been the origin of all the valleys in which there is an expanse of tillable ground, and not mere strips confined to the banks of the draining streams.

The eastern valley is indeed partly occupied by the large sheet of water to the north, and the west is very marshy. The eastern one is interspersed with low detached ranges of hills.

The birds are a magpie, a dove, Oriolus, Pastor roseus, Pastor alter, sparrow, water-wagtail, Hirundo, Hoopoe, Lanius, Sylvia sp., water-hen, wild ducks on the lake, and Merops; almost all these as at Khujgal, but no _minas_, or Edolia.

At Urghundy occurs Potentilla quinquifolia, repens radicans p.u.b.escens, stipulis oblongis.

_28th_.--Halted at Koti-Ashruf. The most common plants on the Khak-i- Sofaid pa.s.s are two or three of the small pulvinate Statices, Senecionoides glaucescens. The yellow Asphodelus is very common, and I also saw A. mesembryanthemifolia. At the foot of the pa.s.s, I saw Scabiosa, which also occurred on the summit.

First march on the Cabul side of Ghuznee. Whole tracts blue with the l.a.b.i.ata Plectranthoides; at Urghundy, along a watercut, are planted several willows of the common large-leaved kind, the bark of these on all the older parts is cracked longitudinally, and the trunk has the appearance of being twisted, which I have no doubt is the natural state, the spire is from left to right. The prevailing winds are easterly.