National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books

THE LAKE CHAKER-AGIL.   37

directing their steep lee sides to the west, showing that eastern winds are prevalent, at least during the warm season. Here two sandy peninsulas project into the lake, one of them ending with a little island.

West of the second peninsula there is a bay with a grassy shore. The lake is shallow here. At the southern shore the mountains have a comparatively steep fall down to the lake, though they always leave a belt of nearly level ground between their base and the shore, partly occupied by grass, partly by dunes. In the former case the ground is swampy.

Kum - jilga is a little valley from the south ; it has no road, and is in-

habited only during the winter. In its mouth there are several sand dunes. West of this valley a rocky promontory falls steeply to the very shore ; it consists of weathered crystalline schist in 26° S. 3o° W. Beyond it there are several capes of detritus sloping 34° to the shore. Wild geese and ducks are common. An eagle was seen.

Farther west the mountains fall away and leave room for a narrow meadow.

At the western-most part of the lake are excellent grazing-grounds with swampy soil. A considerable number of yaks and camels were grazing here. Along the shore reeds grow. In the background the great valley of Kalema opens, and in its upper reaches the snow-covered crest of the Sarikol Range is visible. Kalema is visited in the winter. Because of the chilly weather its brook, which enters the westernmost part of the lake, was now nearly dry. There is no trafficable pass across the Sarikol Range in the upper part of Kalema. At the lower part of the Kalema valley the Sor-kumn jilga enters from the south and the Kara jilga from the north. Through the latter a short-cut road crossing a little pass, leads to Muchi.

Along the western half of the northern shore, reeds grow in a narrow belt.

From the northern mountains several promontories go down to the shore with bays between them. They chiefly consist of horizontally stratified pebbles and fine yellow clay. On a little island surrounded by reeds and situated near the northern shore there is a saint's tomb called Kindik-masar. The island consists of detritus. Opposite it is a fine meadow where the little valley Kindikning--åele enters; it has a road to Muchi across an easy pass.

A little farther east a rocky promontory stands opposite the one at the southern shore, and consist of some igneous rock in 40° S. 60° W. Between the two rocky capes the deepest part of the lake seemes to be situated. At 4 o'clock p. m. the water had a temperature of 14.9°. It is perfectly clear and fresh. The colour of the lake is blue, green, violet in the most beautiful nuances. Algae and aquatic plants grow in a belt along the shore, especially where reeds protect against winds and waves. The northern shore seems to have a steeper slope down into the lake than the southern.