Scottish geographical magazine (1885) (14784073445)

Identifier: scottishgeograph20scotuoft (find matches)
Title: Scottish geographical magazine
Year: 1885 (1880s)
Authors: Scottish Geographical Society Royal Scottish Geographical Society
Subjects: Geography
Publisher: Edinburgh, Royal Scottish Geographical Society
Contributing Library: Robarts - University of Toronto
Digitizing Sponsor: University of Toronto



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the valleys and streams is east and west, and the terminal lakereservoirs, some of which are of great extent, are invariably salt. Dr.Hedin was cheered now and again by clear, warm days with a scorchingsun. But the prevailing weather conditions are high wind and hurricane—mostly from the west and north—rain and snow, and a temperature thateven in midsummer fell to the freezing-point. Xo more desolate and inhos-pitable space is to be found upon the face of the globe than the chaoticmountain region between the Altyn-tagh and Southern Tibet. The highestpasses and heights are almost destitute of organic life; and the valleys andsteppes bear only a low herbage, which is often scant and poor. Yet insome places it supports a considerable amount of animal life—wild yaks,wild asses, antelopes, hares, marmots, and rats. The flowing streams andthe lakes with outlets, which are fresh, contain fish; in the terminal lakes,which are salt, organic life has died out. Xo fuel is obtainable except
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CENTRAL ASIA AND TIBET. 211 the droppings of wild animals, and the stages of the explorers journeymust often be regulated by the prospect of finding this fuel. It isa region uninhabited and uninhabitable by human beings, until, in Hear-ing Southern Tibet, about latitude 34° N., the little black tent of aTibetan yak hunter may be met, and further on a Tibetan family or twoherding their yaks and sheep. The number of these encampmentsincreases as the traveller goes southward. But at the most they are fewand scattered. Proceeding westward to Ladakh along the confines of Central andSouthern Tibet, Dr. Hedin had not so much occasion to cross mountainranges like those encountered on his southward course. There were stillelevated mountain tracts to traverse. But for a considerable part of theway he was able to travel through valleys and along lakes running eastand west. The height of these above sea-level sometimes fell below15,000 feet, and his most formidable opponents were high westerlywi