Nearly everywhere along the foot of the limestone platform there is comparatively good grass and yapkak. The whole ground is, therefore, pierced by rabbits' holes, which are a nuisance, causing the ponies to stumble continually.
At the spur where our direction changes to the E. S. E., the country becomes still more open to the east, and one gets a very strong impression of this enormous latitudinal valley, which I at once recognized as the one, in which Weliby, in 1896, farther east, had discovered his Lake Lighten. For at least four days' distance the ground appeared to be nearly level, except for small transverse thresholds between neighbouring self-contained basins. Such a threshold, though imperceptible, must be situated between the Lake of Aksai-chin and the little lake just west of it. The breadth of this enormous latitudinal valley seemed to be about the same for a very great distance, or about I o or r 2 km. across. At some four days' journey east a snow-covered mountain rose, though it was still impossible to tell whether the valley lay north or south of it. The valley obviously continues to the N. W., including the northern part of Aksai-chin. And still farther N. W. there are other latitudinal valleys which certainly stand in some tectonic relationship to the one we now are considering. Such valleys are a part of the upper Kara-kash-daria and the upper part of Raskem-daria. The great latitudinal valley is no doubt the first of its kind situated south of the Kwen-lun System. But in the interior of this system there is another latitudinal valley parallel to it, namely that of the upper Yurung-kasla. The latter is, however, of a quite different kind, for it is, at least to a large extent, an erosion valley, whilst the one in which we now are moving, is purely tectonical. So far as we see, it is, on the north, bounded by a mighty range belonging to the Kwen-lun System, and to the south by mountains of moderate height.
Our route approaches the lake, and Carne IX is pitched at a short distance from the shore at 4,914 m., which is only two or three meters above the surface of the lake. Here the ground consisted of clay mixed with sand. Several small springs formed a minimal brook which did not reach the lake. The grass is excellent; yapkak and dung of yak and kyang abundant. Kyangs . were visible in the region, and probably come to the springs to drink. To judge from the yak dung, these animals visit the place only during the winter. The water of the lake is bitterly salt; at 17.5° temp. the areometer showed a spec. gravity of 1.167. It is perfectly clear and clean. At a time not long ago the Aksai-chin Lake seems to have been fresh, for a low barrier of rotten and dry lacustrine plants and lake-weed remained along the shore, and two or three old beach-lines were to be seen. The latest of these was about 3 m. high. Near the camp a dry erosion bed goes to the lake. A the shore the clay was blue and plastic; some 200 m. from the shore the ground consisted of white clay with remains of plants. As the ground in the latitudinal valley all around is very level, the lake must have been much larger when even
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