国立情報学研究所 - ディジタル・シルクロード・プロジェクト
『東洋文庫所蔵』貴重書デジタルアーカイブ

CLIMATE, ANIMAL LIFE, AND POPULATION.

313

mighty Sha-kangsham. Ngoring or Nguri is a little ridge along the northern shore of the lake. Tsirang-tso is a small lake just east of Teri-nam-tso. Of the Dangra-yum-

r      tso nothing can be seen; the distance between the two lakes is said to be four days.
On the Teri-nam-tso there was now no ice at all, as it began to break up in the first half of April. The water is undrinkable, but there are fresh springs along the shores. The height of the lake is 4 684 m.

As in 1907, the May of 1908 proved to be very cold, cloudy and windy. The weather of May in the valleys on the southern side of the Transhimalaya was more rough and inhospitable than the weather of April on the open Chang-tang plains. Regular snowfalls were not rare. The prevailing wind came from the S.W. On May I the brook of Kanglung-bup-chu, at a height of 4 78o m, was still covered with rotten ice, sufficiently strong to bear the weight of the caravan. May 8 the Lapchung-tso was still covered with compact ice. The ice of the lake does not break up before the beginning of June, when the ice of the pools and brooks in the

Az      surroundings has already disappeared. The climate of Lapchung or Lap, that is to
say the region round Lapchung-tso, is regarded as particularly cold, which is not surprising, remembering the great height. North of Sangmo-bertik-la we had real winter-weather, with blinding snowstorms, in the middle of May. In the latter half of May the southern shore of Teri-nam-tso proved to be a very windy region, specially after noon; the wind was always S.W.

The region of Lapchung is rich in animal life, kyangs, antelopes, hares, wild geese, partridges, ravens etc. On the Sangmo-bertik-la we saw 8 wild yaks. The yaks avoid the roads, but otherwise they are common in the higher parts of the Transhimalaya. An old hunter, who had killed many yaks, calculated that some 3 000 yaks had their haunts on the southern slopes of the Lapchung range, but hardly any at all on the northern. Kyangs, pantholops and goa antelopes were common north of Sagmo-bertik-la. On the Dongchen-la we saw 24 Ovis Ammon.

The population is very scanty along this line and, as usual, diminishes from south to north. The Ushü village was said to have 150 inhabitants, most of whom, at the time of my visit, were spread among the surrounding mountains with their flocks of sheep; in late summer they return to look after their barley harvest. Therefore they are semi-nomads living even on the shores of the Tsangpo ; further west there are full nomads on the banks of the river.

North of the Gya-la we saw only one tent, and in the valley north of Lamlungla 7, with great flocks of yak. In the valley between Lamlung-la and Telep-la were 5 tents; at Kyung-tsang one and in the Gyägong valley 3 tents. In the valley north of Sangmo-bertik-la, below Camp 405 were many signs of camping- and pasture grounds. Here many mane-walls indicated the neighbourhood of Mendong-gompa. Near Camp 407 were 1 o tents in all. On the Soma-tsangpo 2 tents. In the valley Yung-nagring one tent and great flocks of yaks and goats. Near Camp 409 were

40-141741 III.