252 EXCURSION TO AJAGH-KUM-KOL.
less. I was not ,given the names Kara-kocho and Boulak-bachi between Paschalik and Mandarlik, but they may quite well exist for all that. I have already expressed my opinion upon Bonvalot's conception of the Chiman Tagh (Tschimen-tagh).
With his representations those of the map of the Russian General Staff agree on the whole. The latter writes Muran instead of Mian, and it is not unlikely that Mian is indeed a Turkish corruption of the Mongol word »muran», which signifies »a river». In between the transverse glens of Dschahan-saj and Tschukur-saj the Russian map enters Ur. Saj, that is to say the district of Saj — evidently under the impression that »saj» is the name of a certain district; whereas its true meaning always is the hard, flat talus slope at the foot of a mountain-range, though it also means »an eroded watercourse». Further we have the names of Avras-bulak, which is identical with my Avras and with Bonvalot's Bulak-baschi; Kum-boën (= Kum-or Kil-davan), Sejfi-bulak (= Säjpu-bulak), Tasch-davan, and Tasch-kul-baschi. The place at which the Paschalik and Ilve-tschimen unite is here called Ur. Kosch-lasch or the »district» of Koschlasch, a word that signifies quite simply »confluence», but is not used as a synonym for »district». Thus an examination of the names on the Russian map reveals the existence of two mountain-chains; but if we study the morphological designations of the region on the same map we search in vain for more than one chain, namely that in which Tasch-davan is situated. Carey and Dalgleish also travelled by this same route, and accordingly on their map we Again have the names Tschukursaj, Bulak-baschi, Kum-davan, Tasch-davan, Tasch-kul-baschi, Paschalik, Kara-tschoka, and Mandarlik. All the way from Tscharklik to Amban-aschkan-davan Bonvalot thus followed faithfully in Carey's footsteps, which can only be .described as a waste of energy, for an opportunity was plainly lost of contributing to a wider and more comprehensive knowledge of the country.
The stream of Mian, which debouches upon the lowlands at Tar-aghis, is formed of the four following glens and spring-fed brooks — Ilve-tschimen, Paschaliksaj, Tughuluk, and Kum-taschlik. Of these the Paschalik would appear to be the longest, to possess the most energetically excavated glen, and in summer to carry the biggest volume. The Ilve-tschimen, which is formed, as we have seen, of two spring-fed brooks from the Schia-manglaj, is so far forth the most important stream in that it possesses an active current all the year round, for it is fed by spring-
water contributories both above and below our Camp XCIII. If we consider the Ilve-tschimen to be the main artery and principal stream, then the three others are its affluents and flow parallel to one another from south to north. And it is quite natural that the hydrographical arrangement should be thus, that is to say, that all three affluents should enter the main stream from the left. For, while the mountains on the north, the Astin-tagh, have a very short slope towards the river's valley, and arrest but little rainfall on that side, the slopes of the opposite mountains, the Ilve-tschimen, are very long and deeply scored with rainwater channels, and receive an abundance of rain. This arrangement is characteristic of northern Tibet and of the rivers which flow down from it to the basin of the Tarim. We shall find the same thing occurring in the nearest neighbour of this stream towards the west, namely the Tscharklik-su, and it is also conspicuous on a larger scale in the case of the Tschertschen-darja, the Kerija-darja, the Khotan-darja, and even the
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