been swept away by the strong S. W. wind and probably accumulated along the base and at the lee sides of the hills to the N. E. The snow-patches still left on the plain were tough and leathery like parchment and their surface was yellow from wind-driven, fine dust. Only in the furrows and especially at the lee sides of the terraces, the snow was blown together in greater masses. The shore-line runs fairly straight to the E. S. E. After some kilometers we leave behind the projecting rocky promontory of the southern shore, east of which there may be a rather deep-cut inlet to the south. This is, however, impossible to verify from our route. The southern shore of Shemen-tso has never been mapped. Deasy travelled beyond the mountains of the southern shore, Bower followed the northern, and Rawling surveyed at some distance from the northern shore.
The ground gradually becomes soft sand, perfectly barren, and perhaps inundated in the summer when the lake no doubt rises to a certain extent. At some distance
from the shore, there are two old beach-lines. The red hills east of the plain come nearer to the shore, and finally form small, more or less detached, groups on the shore itself with capes and promontories. On the slopes of these hills the old beach-lines are very sharply marked, being at about i o and 20 m. above the surface of the lake. They form a very characteristic feature of Shemen-/so, and may be seen nearly everywhere along its southern shore as two sharply drawn dark lines. Where the shore turns south and S. W., we ascend the top of the 2 0 m. terrace and finally march east and N. E. to Cavil CCCXX. The reddish ridge running out on this little peninsula consists of reddish grey dense limestone of the same kind as the whole time since Camp CCCXIII. At several places along the shore of this peninsula, springs come up, and at such places there is no ice. At one place a spring carne up, the water of which was not absolutely fresh. There was nearly no grass, but the common hard plants grew in abundance. The camp was at about 15 m. above the lake and just on the slope from the highest terrace. The view to the N. E. from Camp CCCXX. , was very curious and reminded one most strongly of the benches of a Greek amphitheater. The intervals between the terraces were white with snow, but the terraces themselves, yellowish red from the colour of the limestone sand, gravel and boulders. This characteristic view is shown both on the accompanying sketch in water colours, and on Pan. 405, Tab. 72. Pan. 4O2A and B, Tab. 71, constitutes the immediate continuation of the latter. To the E. N. E. it shows rather high snow-covered mountains. To the east, S. E., and south it represents the view of the lake and the world of mountains forming a frame around its shores. In the fine weather of the day, the Shenaen-tso indeed represented a scenery of rare Tibetan beauty and majestic desolation.
On February 5112, we marched 8.6 km. along the shore E. N. E. and S. E. to Layne CCCXXI. It was like a rest to our 15 surviving ponies and mules to follow
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