Journals of Travels in Assam, Burma, Bhootan, Afghanistan and the Neighbouring Countries Part 64

Bean cultivation is very common in the valley of the Cabul river to the west beyond the Khak-i-Sofaid pa.s.s; I suspect it requires a greater alt.i.tude than most of the other cultivated plants of Affghanistan, it abounds in the high ground about Shaikhabad.

_29th_.--Proceeded in the morning from Julraize to Sir-i-Chushme. The fish of the place are the same, the Silurus being common. The two sorts of Oreinus vary much in the length of the intestinal ca.n.a.l,--the yellowish and large one having it five times: the small and less yellowish, three and a half lengths of the body. Both these species come close to Barbus, showing that the spinosity of the dorsal fin is a more valuable character than that of the form of the mouth.

The cartilaginous disc of Oreinus is a reflection outwards of the osseo- cartilaginous part of the mouth, the fleshy part alone is the lips.

Oriolus, Upupa, and Percnopterus, continue with Columba. Grapes and apricots _khar see_, and the common ones reach as far as this, but are very inferior to those of Cabul; rice cultivated here and there. The chief trees are Populus lombardensis, Salix magnifolia, and S. pendula, Hippophae.

At Koti-Ashruf Salix angustissima is found, and on it Cuscuta gigantea; on to-day's march Hippophae, but this is found also at Maidan: Merops was heard at Koti-Ashruf. In the spring of Sir-i-Chushme, a Typhoid plant occurs in profusion, Veronicae 2, alta et repens rotundifolia, Nasturtium aquatica, Scrophularia of Julraize, Juncus, Triglochin, and Plantago of the green sward, everywhere between 6,000 and 11,000 feet.

Trees end at the foot of Oonnye.

_30th_.--Girdun Dewar. Salvia swarms up the ascent and on the descent, but less so than before, and on the Yonutt platform it is almost absent; Cnicus also in profusion both up and down, and on the platform Festuca triticoides begins about half-way up; Statice are common over the whole pa.s.s. Caragana in the gra.s.sy swardy ravines. On the highest point Astragalus arbuscula, the fields studded with yellow b.u.t.tons of tansy, and white flowers of Stellaria; Arabidea glauca siliculosa, also common; this is rare on the west side of Hindoo-koosh, as is also Stellaria.

Tansy continues in some places.

_31st_.--To Kurzar. Proceeded up the Siah-Sung; along the river, green sward with patches of Caragana, Campanula, and Geraniums occurred in profusion in some places. Salvia not uncommon; at the first part, or perhaps for three miles from camp a large Hingoid is common, smaller and whiter than the species so common on the lower hills, and which is the large-leaved species of Quettah and the Kojhuk pa.s.s. Potamogeton cylindrifolia common; Senecionoides.

On the stony part, or beyond Siah-Sung, when one leaves the bed of the river, Astragali two or three species, Salvia, and Blitum. Two sorts of fish are found in the river, and perhaps a third in the black hammer-headed Silurus. {481} Of the two caught, one is an Oreinus, but pa.s.sing close into Barbus. Beneath the glandular line, white, above fuscous-brownish, with irregular black spots, fins fusco-reddish.

The other is a loach, Cobitis propria, shape shark-like, colour yellowish- brown, almost tawny, sides irregularly spotted with brownish-black spots, arranged on the back in broad irregular, generally complete bands. Head not banded, fins tawny, with oblong black spots, eyes prominent, irides reddish-orange: this is a very abundant species.

Poplar trees, (P. lombardensis): these from being planted close, grow together, the union generally taking place near the base. I have not seen a section of the wood.

_August 2nd_.--Kaloo. So far as I can judge, the flora of this side of the pa.s.s does not differ, but in a few unimportant instances from that of the Kurzar side. The summit however has a much colder climate, probably from being exposed on the Kurzar side to an extremely cold and piercing wind from the Kohi-Baba range. Cnici 2, and Festuca triticoides are the most common plants, with Arenaria fruticosa, Composita No. 152, Asphodelus of Erak now nearly pa.s.sed flower, and some Astragali. But on this side, Cnici cease almost entirely, although they re-appear lower down, but only partially, and the top of the pa.s.s is covered with the Statice of Kurzar, and Astragali, among which, that with the flat pod, winged on the dorsal suture, is the most common. Lower down the same, or similar features continue, and the only plants limited to this side are a curious Astragalus, Crotalarioid, Polygonum fruticosa, microphyllum, and spinosum, a Boraginea like that of Jugdulluck, but much smaller and dec.u.mbent, a Papaveraceae, petalis Papaveris Rhoeadis, with a siliquose fruit, and Clematis erecta: willow trees (the broad leaved species) occur here, a large Agrostic gra.s.s, Ribes and Symph.o.r.ema of Erak.

The Affghans appear to cut every plant almost of any size for winter fodder, even thistles, docks, etc. The purple Lactucoid of Cabul re-appears, and the curious flat fruit calyxed Boraginea of Shawl both in abundance. The crops here are not more forward than those at Kurzar; the fields are _crowded_ with Stellaria, but there is much less Tanacetum; Geraniums occur in profusion.

Silene fimbriata, is a night flower, withering by 9 A.M.

I found no snow up the left Hajeeguk ravine, and the effect was marked, namely, that none of the alpine plants are so abundant about it as last season, when they were in flower, or had pa.s.sed.

There is on the hills about this ravine, a large burrowing animal, probably a marmot; it is of a dark colour with tawny rump; when on the alert it sits on its rump, or rather perhaps raised on the hind legs, and has the voice of an ordinary Rodentia.

I heard several of these, but saw only one.

Rich botanising is to be had on the swampy ground at the mouth of the right ravine. Pediculares 2, Silenaceae 3 or 4, Veroniceae 2, Orchis 1, Ranunculi 2, Junci 2, Carices several, Swertiae 2, one the larger Solidago, Geranium, Gramineae several, Parna.s.sia of Erak, Campanula, Ruta odora, etc.

_3rd_.--To Topehee. The vegetation of Kaloo is far less varied than that of Hajeeguk, for it presents no such swampy ravines at such elevations.

The plants of the hills around Kaloo villages continue half-way up, on the road over the ravine Corvisartia is plentiful, with a l.a.b.i.ata, Calyce Royleae, in profusion; this and Cnici form the chief vegetation; Papaveraceae also continue.

Up the 1st ascent Hingoid tenuifolia, Ephedra stricta, Ribes commence, Ephedra continuing throughout wherever the bare rocks project through the loose soil; one-third way up, Statice long and short-peduncled commence with an Astragalus. The bulk of the vegetation is an Artemisia; Royleoid and Chenopodium villosum continue, and do so for half-way up.

At the black rock half-way up, Dianthus, Astragalus, Crotalarioid, Rosae sp., Statice pulvinata, are common, this last and Artemisia are the chief features: Scutellaria, Stellaria dichotoma, Umbellifera of Yonutt, Corvisartia, wild Gramineae of Yonutt, Arenaria fruticosa, Festuca triticoides continues. Borago of upper Kaloo, and the Glauci of Kaloo occur. Astragali 2 or 3 sp., Silene sp., but the chief vegetation is Artemisia.

On the summit, Corvisartia, Boragineae, Gramineae, several; a straggling Plectranthus coeruleus, Arenaria fruticosa, Allium rubrum, Cnici 2, the yellow Erigeronoid of Hajeeguk summit, occur on the descent just below the ridge, and on this side the Statice pulvinata is in profusion, and of large size. Large marmot, with teeth like those of a rat.

_4th_.--Proceeded to Bamean. At Topehee was found a curious succulent Hyperic.u.m, it is odd that the leaves, etc. of these succulent saline plants are cold; strikingly so. Connected with this low temperature, is the fact, that if shut up in a box with other plants, and water thrown in, that even though they be at the top, they cause the deposit of all the water that pa.s.ses up in the shape of vapour, while the ordinary plants remain quite dry! A wonderful provision of nature adapting them the more to extremely dry stations. About Topehee, Cichorium is common; Salvia of Oonnye, Geranium, Artemisia exaltata of Sir-i-Chushme, and Pulmonaria, so common everywhere, occur; Glauc.u.m swarms in saline marshy places. Triglochin is also found, also Ranunculus stoloniferae trilobata of Kaloo, Hippuris. The flat-calyxed Boraginea, Melilotus officinalis also found; Potamogeton cylindrifolia, Centaurea lutea.

There also occurs along the barren slopes of the hills a glaucous shrub, much like that between Chunni and Dund-i-Goolai, dec.u.mbens, subspinos: glauco alb. fruct. baccato drupaceis, oblongis, purpuris, basi calyce parvo, 5-fido, stylo brevi apiculatis, putamina osseo-cra.s.so oblongo ovato, Sem. immatur.

_8th_.--Bamean. The fish, so far as I have caught any, seem to be one trout, and two barbels. Of 5 species, one of these takes the worm greedily, the length of the intestines varied in every instance, and of three the relative lengths of body and ca.n.a.l were as follows:

Inches. Ca.n.a.l.

Body 6 (times ) 2.125 ( Of three since captured and Body 7 (longer ) 2.5 ( about 8 inches long, all Body 10.5 (than the) 3.5 ( nearly the same size, the (body. ) ( length of the ca.n.a.l was ( three times longer than the ( body.

The intestines as usual taper almost gradually from the stomach and oesophagus, and are gorged with greenish pulp.

This is worth following up. It is scarcely credible, but that the species are really different; or if not, the variety in the length will considerably diminish the value of the length of ca.n.a.l as a principle of arrangement. {484}

The glaucous long-peduncled, large-flowered Statice is limited to the east side of Kaloo. On this side another species occupies similar elevations, viz., 9,500 to 10,500 feet; it is a good deal like the one met with towards Ghuzni. These species are less alpine than the short- peduncled species with large flowers, which continues all over Kaloo, being in great perfection on the west side, near the summit. Another short-peduncled species appears on the descent, close to upper Topehee.

Towards this Royleoid occurs but sparingly, and the first change takes place in the abundance of Salicornia or Kochia. Also about this, Peganum and Salvia reoccur, both kinds not being uncommon about Bamean.

Lactuca dislocata occurs throughout.

The vegetation of Bamean is that of Topehee, but the small flowered Tamarisk is scarce--Potentilla anserina is common, Hyoscyamus spinosus of Kaloo occurs.

The Bamean river divides the Kohi-Baba from the Hindoo-koosh, but both are obviously of the same system, i.e. they divide the ranges to the north. To the east their offsets are divided by the Kaloo river. The direction of the Hindoo-koosh and that of the Kohi-Baba, is about 115 west. The s.p.a.ce to the west consists of a low, rather flat plateau, (as it appears from the top of Kaloo,) this flat belongs to the Kohi-Baba range; the offsets of the Hindoo-koosh to the east and north are ordinarily shaped. All the hills on the north side of the valley disintegrate on their south faces, forming cliffs of partial extent.

_13th_.--Proceeded to Akrobat, ascending the Bamean river, and then diverging up a _kotul_ or acclivity of considerable height, but gradual ascent. Then descending at once steeply to Akrobat, which is about 9,500 feet above the sea. Along the river, Rosa, Hippophae, and Salix occur, the two former being abundant. Scarcely any change in vegetation occurs: an Ephedra, very common up the _kotul_ and abundantly in fruit. The hills are very barren, and nothing remarkable is observable about Syghan.

Apricot const.i.tutes the only fruit tree. Salix, Populus, and Sinjit occur.

All the valleys are narrow, and the hills very barren, the chief vegetation being Salsolaceae. The vegetation of the valleys is the same as that of Bamean; on the north of Akrobat two Statice occur, one with spathulate leaves scapigerous, the other a tall straggling plant.

_22nd_.--Erak. The vegetation of Kurzar consists of Hyperic.u.m, Salsolaceae, Carduacea, and Hyoscyamus spinosus, but Salsolaceae occur in profusion and several species.

Hyperic.u.m enjoys to perfection, the faculty of condensing water on its leaves, much more so than Salsolaceae; it presents an obvious affinity to Rutaceae, capsula radiata 5-valvis, loculicida: valvis linea centrali notatis, septis solutis imo apice exceptis. Seminibus basi locul.

affixis, apice villosis; the tobacco is different from the Nicot.

tobacc.u.m, cor. virida tubo calyce, duplo longiore lamina brevi plicato: apricots in sheltered places.

_24th_.--Kurzar. The Erak _kotul_ is thickly covered with Festuca triticoides, two Carduaceae, Salvia, Artemisiae, and Statices on the south side. On the north Statices, Onosma, and Carduaceae are most common, and the vegetation is scantier. Ribes is common up the Erak ravine; with it, Rosa and Symph.o.r.ema are the chief shrubs. Ephedra ceases about 10,000 feet. A snake found of general grey colour, with black-brown marking.

_26th_.--Ascended Kohi-Baba from upper Kaloo, the ascent occupied about five hours, the ridge was surmounted but no view of Baissoat was obtained, except that the crest surmounted, as well as the still loftier culminating one belong to ridges running 30 degrees north from a main ridge, the pa.s.ses of which, although apparently the same height as the peak surmounted, are much more heavily covered with snow. These pa.s.ses do not appear very difficult.

At 2 P.M. set up the barometer on the ridge, the mercury stood 17.354.

Therm. in cistern, 79.5. Detached Therm. in sun 85 degrees--on the ground 105 degrees.

_September 2nd_.--At 2.5 P.M. the barometer stood 17.356.

a.s.suming this to give about 15,000 feet, none of the peaks will be found to be higher than 16,500. The culminating point was close by, and did not appear more than 1,000 feet above me. The different ridges are separated by deep s.p.a.ces in which snow lies to a considerable extent.

Having descended a considerable way I again set up the barometer. Time 4- 45 P.M.

The mercury stood at 18.889.

Therm. in the Cistern. 63 degrees Ditto in the air. 68 degrees

The vegetation continues unaltered, the same as that of Kaloo kotul.