the hills on which we stand. On both sides of this neck, semi-circular beach-lines are well marked, showing either a general and constant desiccation or a seasonal fluctuation of the water-level. For it seems likely that after rains, the different, now separated, parts of the depression join in one lake. The greater part of the lake bed now seemed to be dry; its surface was white as snow; but at some places along the shores, blue ice-sheets were visible crossed by white cracks. The N. W. part of the depression formed, as it were, a separate little lake, the Durbok-tso. The name is not quite certain, for other Tibetans called the lake Pul-tso (Pool--tso), a name indicating that it is salt. The eastern mountains form, as is well seen on the panorama I I I, a compact block, in the sides of which there are innumerable small and steep erosion valleys. In the mouth of nearly every one of them, is a fan, and on their surfaces the branches of the watercourses diverge like the arms of a delta. To the S. E. and S. S. E., there are also high mountains with valleys opening to the depression, but without snow on their rounded peaks. South or S. W. of the southern part of the lake, one does not see, but suspects the existence of a plain. Tso-ri gives a characteristic aspect to this lake basin, and it seems not unlikely that this depression, when filled with water after heavy and constant rains, may assume the same curious annular shape as Araktsong-tso of my journey in 1901, and of Yamdok-tso south of the Tsangpo. Under such conditions the little neck of land connecting the Tso-ri with the mainland, may be flooded.
The slope down from the second pass, seemed to be endless. Marching S. E., we had a deep-cut valley with ice to our right, and finally we crossed it. Among the hills at its left side, there was a tent. Then followed a steep slope, and finally we descended gradually on the undulating ground which slowly goes over into the plain or floor of the depression. Camp XCV was placed at the lee side of the ridge that bounded the last-mentioned valley to the west. The grass was not of the best, dung and ice were to be had, but no running water.
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