266 THE LOP-NOR PROBLEM.
would have nearly coincided with that followed by Roborowsky and Kozloff in order to reach Shachau. These travellers speak of a vast extent of saline swamps, marking what must have formerly been the continuation in a north-easterly direction of the waterspread of Lob-nor. The ancient lake-bed is, according to their surveys, clearly defined by ranges of mountains to the north and south, meeting at some point to the north-east of Prejevalsky's lake.»*
Morgan, like Prschevalskij and Kosloff, never conceived the possibility of the Lop-nor being a migratory lake, which periodically changes its bed. They have conceived the Kara-koschun as occupying »a clearly defined bed», the margins of which, owing to the configuration of the adjacent country, the water was unable to overflow. It is clear that Prschevalskij, misled by the shrinking of the lake, was of opinion, that any fresh change in its bed was altogether inconceivable.
* The Geographical Journal, April 1898, vol. XI, no. 4, p. 413, where my reply will also be found.
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