1923%20Memoir%20on%20Maps%20of%20Chinese%20Turkistan%20by%20Stein%20s

102 NOTES ON INDIVIDlTAL MAP SHEETS [Chap. IV
and the Etsin-go1 basin is divided. The broad allavial fans of tile Pei-ta-ho and of
chief p11ysiruI features of tlleae regions have the smaller rivers which to the enst of it
been i~~clicated above i~t section vi of Clrap- descend from the Riclrtl~ofen ltange. Furter
11, and brief reference to their rxtent and ther east the \\.idtll of the plateau at tile
tl~aractcr \\'ill sl~ttire I~err. foot of t,he range ir still great. But the lesser
I , lhe rno~lntaiu regio~~ in tlre sout.11 clear- vohi~rre of water carried by the streams
Iy shows the \vide trough-like nl~lands at the Iirre tlmining it restricts the cnltivated area
lic~acl\vaters of the Su-lo-110 and the Su-chon to a st.ri~lg of minor oases along their alluand
Kat1-~IIOII rivers, as \\.ell as the tortuo~~r vi:~I f:il~s, fro111 Cl~i~~-fo-ssu (I;. 2) to Nannarrow
gorges in \vhic.li these rivers liavec~it ch'iian (1). 2). The rest. of the bclt consists
tlrcir \va tl~rough thc two tlortl~ern ranges Irere mainly of scrubby steppe, affording
of tllc Nan-sl~nn. 'I'l~e il~creaxrd moiat~lre of anrl~lr wi~rter grazing, \vitl~ iritc~r~l~ersed
the cl~rilate eaat\\vrds is cle~nonstrated by tlie
forest gro\vtll \vl~iclr tlie map slio\vs at eleareas
of drift-sand (C, 1). 1,). Bejo~~tl tl~e
Io~vcr course of tire Hsi-la-110 (D. 2) a provations
from about 8,000 to 10,000 feet in jecting outel. s1111r of tl~e range, bare and
t,he valleys al,yreaching the \vatersl~~d of the rnllcli eroded, conlines the piatean-like bclt
Pacific droir~a~e, as nrarlietl by the '1's-t'uug
river kc, D. 4,;.
to its r~arro\vcst litnits near the to\vll of
Kao-t'ai.
In the ?;:lnle tlirectior~ the change in the The northern edge of tlre second region
character of tile Ricl~tl~ofe~i Hangc, from a is formetl thro~lgl~out by a low and utterly
steep mountain rampart into a system of barren hill-range (A-D. l), representing a
broad spnrs wit11 easier slopes at their top, \vcstern extension of the .%la-shan. This
becollles ~~oticc:~ble. Tl~is change in the I~ill-range 1vitl1 its slopes of bare gravel or
lateral espansiolr of the Hiclltllofen liange sand shares throu~l~out the character of the
determitles tile I\-itlth of the second region, Etsin-go1 basin described in the Notes on
th:ct of tlie platean-like belt stretcliitrg along Sheets Nos. 4.4, 45. Cultivation stops above
its northern foot. Owing to tlie line of the points \\,here tlre rivers of Kan-chou
oases comprised in it this belt, has formed an and Su-clron break through the desert range
important 'land of passage' all through (B. I, D. 1) to unite fl~rtller down near the
liistoriral times. isolated oasis of Mao-mei (Sheet No. 4Z.
At the north-western end of the belt we
hare the large oasis of So-chon, occupying the
Astronontically observed lotidirdes.
D. 4,).
1906-OX. Chia-yii-linan, Camp 200 (near springs, south of eastern gate of
fort, A. I) ... ... ...
...
Su-chou, Camp 201 (at Chio-rh'uan temple, outside eastern gate
of city; B. 1) ... ...
... ...
Chin-fo-ssn, Camp 203 (garden, circ. 1 mile to sooth of eastern
gate ; B. 2) ...
... ... ...
Ta-pen-kou, Camp 207 (gold miners' camp ; B. 3) ...
...
Camp 21 1 (at spring near bed of sout,hern tributary of Pei-ta-ho ;
A. 3) ... ... ... ...
Camp 2 14. (above bed of rising Su-lo-110 ; A. 4.) ... ...
Camp 223 (on right river bank, north of Fkng-ta-fan ; D. 3)
Chien-ch'uan-tzu, Camp 231 (D. 2) ... ... ...
1913-15. Su-chou, Camp 133 (at Chiu-cliiuan temple, outside eastern cit.y
gate; B. 1) ... ... ... ...
Lo-t'o-ch'ing, Camp 165 (within ruined town ; D. 2)
NOTES ON SHEETS Nos. 44,45 (ETSINGOL, ETSIN-GOL DELTA)
These two sheets may conveniently be basins. The route in the extreme south-west
commented upon together as they combine to (45.A.44) mas fitted upon the position adopted
show the course of the Etsin-go1 from below for Kan-chou (46. R. 3), and the rest of
Mao-mei right down to its terminal lake the traverses in these sheets compiled on the