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0397 Scientific Results of a Journey in Central Asia, 1899-1902 : vol.1
Scientific Results of a Journey in Central Asia, 1899-1902 : vol.1 / Page 397 (Grayscale High Resolution Image)

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doi: 10.20676/00000216
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THE ULLUGH-KOL AND BEGELIK-KÖL.   287

decreases proportionally with the subsidence of the river. Thus a flow of 35 cub. m. in the second, the volume we obtained on the basis of a maximum rise of 1.345 IIl., will not actually fill the lake in 23 days, but it will take a longer time. Still it does fill the lake eventually, and that is the essential thing. On 7th and 8th May the lake was full to the brim, and its level coincided with the level of the river, so that it was easily able to spare a portion of its water when the river did begin to drop. As the river continued to subside, so did the outfiowing stream increase in volume. But it is in the first half of May that the summer heat begins to make itself felt; coincidently with this the evaporation increases and the attraction of the lake grows greater. On 2 I st May the level of the lake was very much lower than on 7th May, and consequently the relative height and volume of the river ceased to be the determining factor, this rôle being assumed by the level of the lake. By the i6th May, when the river had dropped 15.1 cm., the volume had diminished to 66.03 m., and when it afterwards began to rise, the volume augmented to 78.58 cub. m. and the lake again recovered what it had lost to the river — that is, disregarding its loss in other ways.

For a thorough and exhaustive description of the hydrographic relations of this region one would need to take continuous measurements in all the lakes over a period of a full year. But as this opportunity was denied me, I have to content myself with such data and material as I was able to gather during the course of a few days' visit. For their own sakes alone these small temporary sheets of water are not worth the expenditure of much time; but their relations to the river, as well as others of their properties, possess great interest, as illustrating and throwing much light upon the problem of the Kara-koschun.

South-east of the Ullugh-köl stretches a series of lakes which I did not visit, all more or less embedded in the sand. The smaller of these lakes, which have been recently formed by the river, or at any rate traversed by it, belong to a different type from those we have been discussing, and are described along with the river. The nearest neighbour of the desert type which the Ullugh-köl has is the Bajir-köl, a long, narrow lake divided into several basins. The next, the Kum-köl, is rather small, and is described as being of a more circular shape. Then comes the Torpakölcli. The Jalang-clschajir is bordered by sand on the south only; on the 7th May water entered it from the river by an upper canal, but left it again by a lower canal called Siisiik-kok-alasi, or the Clear-water Arm. The next lake in the series is also called the Bajir-köl, and is said to consist of four separate basins, of which the three upper ones bear the names of Lakuluk-köl, Dschan Nias-köl, and Muhamed Aru-köl. The tiny lake of Muhamedne-köli is not embedded in sand. After that follow the Gölme-käti (no. 2), Tschapghan-köl, Karaune-tokkan-köl, Talaschti-köl, Boba-uktusu, Baschtage-köl, Laj-baskan, Begelik-köl, Ojman-köl (though this belongs rather to the river and is described in connection with it), and the Kök-köl.

On 25th May I made an excursion by canoe to the lake of Begelik-köl. The way to it lay across the Jäkänlik-köl and Talei Kullune-köli, after which we dragged our canoes across an isthmus i i o m. wide and launched them again on the Katikarik, which issues last from the small lake of Uktusu, but starts from a point midway up the Talaschti-köl. On the isthmus in question we found two huts, inhabited