A MONOTONOUS LANDSCAPE. 43
is very rare. The nearest hills, as a rule, consist of small, rounded, strongly denudated ramifications covered with débris , and with screes of gravel on their base. The gravel here is sharp-edged. Still there is a good deal of grass growing here, and much dung of the common animals.
At the place where our direction turns E. N. E., the valley widens out considerably. We have a feeling of coming out upon a very great plain crossed by stripes of grass. To the N. E. a large transverse valley opens out, and from it the rest of the brook comes down. The plain is here covered with black gravel 2 cm. in diameter. To the south and S. E. the nearest red range is visible, but the high pink-coloured snow range is hidden. Pan. 29A and 29B, Tab. 6, give an idea of the view. On this panorama the open gap to the east showing the continuation of the latitudinal valley, is broader than before, whereas the gap to the west is hidden by the nearest projecting spurs from the north.
On SeeEenzl er 15th we advance 14 km. a little south of east. The floor of the valley rises at a stronger rate than hitherto, or i : 92, as the height of Camp XIV is 5,1 7o m. or 152 m. above Camp XIII. During this new day's march the landscape remained as before, and hardly any observations worth mentioning were made. The only change was that the ground now ascended with a steeper gradient than before, though always very slowly. There is still a good deal of grass but no water, not even dry watercourses. The weather remained as the days previous, clouds and fog concealing the mountains around. Only occasionally a glimpse of them could be caught, showing that the southern mountains still continued red, the northern greyish green. Occasionally a shower of snow mixed with rain fell. The wind was easterly; the day before it had been north and N. W.; otherwise, S. W. and W. S. W. was the prevailing wind. Towards evening the air cleared up so much that a panorama could be sketched, 3oA and 30B, Tab. 6. It gives a good illustration of the view around the quarters of the compass. The mountains to the north, N. E. and E. N. E. show their rounded forms and their uninteresting relief. To the E. S. E. is the transverse threshold of the latitudinal valley, beyond which Lake Lighten is situated. Between S. 74° E. and S. 5i° E. we behold the culminating part of the pink-coloured range, which here shows itself in a foreshortened perspective, but next day would appear in all its splendour. To the S. E., south and S. W. there are several rather high peaks and ranges with eternal snow, belonging to the same well-marked range.
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