SUMMARY:
Describes a frosty halt day, continued collection of Gentiana (lacunulata), and praise for the seed collector Tupden. Notes comparisons of the Dhu Chu area with the Bumthang Chu, reports a letter from HH about upcoming arrivals (Hicks, MK, Tasho Drunyer), tallies seed and plant collections, and mentions confirmations by Ludlow and Taylor regarding Mec. Sherriffii.

CONTENT:
with Mec. paniculata, simplicifolia & horridula, all of which are in cultivation at home. Tupden is one of the best seed collectors there could be. He takes great pains & always goes on till called away. I wished to have had him from the beginning. Now I know him, I find him very good indeed. He is a Khampa, probably a runaway murderer or something like that, from Markham. The area of the Dhu Chu is something like shown opposite.

4th October Halt. Another lovely day, & very cold hard frost last night. The tents each night now are covered with frost inside & out, & this makes them very heavy. Nothing special happened today. I went out to look for more of yesterday's Gentiana (lacunulata) 19789, & after a while we found a lot of it. It reminds me of G. amplicrata which we first found at Zimsati near Sangacholing in Takpo. I don't think it is G. depressa, & certainly isn't G. amoena. The more I see of this area, the better it looks. It holds much more than the Bumthang Chu valley, although this is a tributary of the Bumthang Chu. It must be more than just not so many yaks here, although there is no doubt that many yaks, & sheep too, in a valley, make a very great difference to the flora. A letter came in from HH to say Tasho Drunyer will arrive on 6th. So with Hicks on 5th, MK on 6th & us on 7th, there will be some activity in Bumthang this week. The main seed collection is now over, & I have about 130 gatherings of seed now, besides the 40-50 taken before & some 25 rooted plants & a number of bulbs & tubers & corms & so on. Ludlow tells me he has 5 lbs. of seed of Mec. Sherriffii! That shows how common it is when it does occur. Taylor has confirmed that it is Mec. Sherriffii, but a very fine form of it.

SUMMARY:
Route notes from Mug to Singhi Dzong and onward to Towa Dzong, detailing ascents, bridges over the Lhobrak/Kuru Chu, and the crossing of Nyema La (14800'). Mentions transport changes at a village and Lala, and notes camp near the new Dzong with good water and fuel.

CONTENT:
2 4th September. To SINGHI DZONG. 12700. 8 miles. Path leaves
Mug, ascending gradually to a shoulder then steeply
down to the Lhobrak Chu, which is crossed by a good
bridge at m 2 1/2. On the L bank the ascent is steep
for three miles, climbing nearly 2000' to a small
village, where transport is changed. The Lhobrak Chu
bends very considerably to the North about here. The
path ascends slightly from this village, rounding a
shoulder of the hill & reaching the cultivation of
Singhi Dzong at m 6 1/2. Thence route descends
easily to the Dzong at m 8. The Dzong, an old
unused castle on a hill is at the North end of
the cultivation. A new Dzong is 200 yds from the old
one & the usual camp is beside this. C.G. small:
water & fuel good.

3 5th September. To TOWA DZONG. 12550' 17 miles. This is a long
march for one day unless transport is ready at Lala.
From the Dzong the path goes up a side valley to the
East, crossing this at m 1 by a bridge. Thence the
ascent on the North side is steep along. It winds
round the shoulder to the N.W., crossing the Nyema La
(14800') at m 3 1/2. Thence easy descent over good road
past a village at m 5, the path gets steeper as it
drops at m 6 1/2 to a bridge over the Lhobrak or Kuru Chu.

SUMMARY:
The diarist halted due to weather, sent a man to reconnoitre a pass for snow conditions, searched unsuccessfully for blood pheasant young, and noted finding but not collecting P. yargonensis. They record local clothing said to come from near Tsetang on the Tsangpo and report heavy monsoon rain, with the scout later advising the pass is feasible but risky due to falling rocks; plans hinge on the Drogpas’ return from taking the Drok Locha to Shasjetang.

CONTENT:
6th June Halt. Very wet night, but fine most of the day. Sent a man up to the pass we want to cross, to see if there is too much snow. I say that 'we' want to cross, but I am probably the only one who wants it. The other way would be simpler & easier for the locals. I looked for blood pheasant young today with no success, though I saw many pairs. We found but did not collect P. yargonensis. Otherwise the day was blank. The locals mostly wear very gay chubas here, & I wanted to see them wearing them. But Ngudup tells me they all come from near Tsetang on the Tsangpo. That is the big bazaar we passed in '46 on the R bank, where the huge chorten is. The cloth is coloured & woven there it seems. But no Tibetan would ever wear clothes made of that pattern. Surely these used to be made in Bhutan? Of course the Drogpas here wear woollen clothes, not cotton which are general in Bhutan.

7th June Halt. A real monsoon day, rain almost all day, but never very heavy & no fine periods for long. One can almost see the snow drifts melting, & one can certainly hear the result of the rain & melting snow in the rocks falling down the hillside. The man we sent off yesterday morning got back by evening, & reported only about 30 yards of deep snow at the top. He, in fact, said we could go alright, as long as I did not mind boxes being bumped against rocks, & was prepared for a bad bit of 200 yds where rocks keep falling down. I don't like the last thing. It is always beastly, but I think we should try when the Drogpas come back from taking the Drok Locha down to Shasjetang. In the meantime, as there is so little up

SUMMARY:
At Laba on the north side of Potrang La, the diarist reports a broken cine camera and scarce flowering, lamenting missed photographic plans between Tsona and Dirang Dzong. The next day they cross Potrang La to Lhaguari amid a blizzard and, at the request of the Jetsun Kusho, move from a planned campsite at the Lingka to quarters at the Gompa, also noting bird observations along the route.

CONTENT:
7th May. Laba on North side of Potrang La. 15,000'. Some rain last night. Bright with clouds most of today, with storms round about, but none here so far.

A minor tragedy happened yesterday, when the cine camera went bust - the mainspring I think. I was sorry enough to have to come back without all the flower photos hoped for, having at last got as many films as I could possibly want. But I had planned to get many interesting photos between Tsona and Dirang Dzong. Now I will take back 60 unused films. There is again very little in flower here. The hillside is covered with Rhododendron vellereum, but they have all been caught in a hail storm. Primula atrodentata, calderiana and pumilio are all in flower.

8th May. Lhaguari. Left at 7:00, got in at 1:00 pm. It was a very still night and I should think there were only 3-4 degrees of frost at night and it was fairly clear this morning. We took about an hour to reach the pass, and as we got to the top a real blizzard started, blowing hard up the south side. This lasted for about an hour and a half when it cleared up, but there were heavy storms all round for the rest of the day. We got in at 1:00 pm and were just about to choose a campsite at the Lingka, when the local clerk came down and said we were asked by the Jetsun Kusho to go to the Gompa. I foolishly agreed, so here we are, stuck in clean, but cold and extremely uncomfortable quarters, with little privacy. One should never leave the comfort and privacy of one's tent. Although they say here that we will get off tomorrow, I have no doubt at all that we will at least not get off till midday. On the North side of the Potrang La there were a great many blackbirds. We have had albocinctus all the way up from Kongbo, but he left us at Lenda, though there were a few at Lhapso. His place is taken by maximus at high altitudes now. He was very common from 15,500' - 16,500'. There were also at least 6 pairs of snow cock, very tame. Crossoptilon were up to 15,500' and mixed up with all of them were

SUMMARY:
Camped again at Chorten Korra near Trashiyangsi with unsettled weather and heavy rain; the local Dzongpen was very attentive. Sent cine film and dispatched a man with post and a cable home. Tried fishing on both days without success due to conditions.

CONTENT:
84

The Trashiyangsi river here is a magnificent stream. We were both thinking that it would make a very fine trout stream.

348
Anemone vitifolia 942
Quercus glauca 943
Abies densa 944
Dendrobium hookerianum 945

7th September. CHORTEN KORRA (TRASHIYANGSI) 6 miles.
Ht. 5825'. (B.P. 201.8 Temp 67°). Weather again pretty unsettled. Rained in the morning and again in the afternoon and evening. Camped in our old place, a very good camp. Tyangsi Dzongpen very attentive.

No 10 cine film sent.

Sent off a man with a small post and cable home. He leaves here tomorrow morning. Saw no birds on the way down. The path is awful the first half of the way, and is mainly a watercourse. Took out the fishing rod in the afternoon and tried with spoon and atta bait, but nothing happened. Intend to try again with worm bait tomorrow.

Trashiyangsi
8th September Halt Chorten Korra. Very hot in the morning. At 4:00 the heaviest rain we have had so far began, and continued till after 6:00 pm. We tried the fish again, as they were rising to something, we tried fly, but they would have nothing to do with them. The Dzongpen has been

SUMMARY:
Marched 7 miles to Sefu in persistent rain; Pritiman fell into a stream, soaking the rucksack. Presents and letters arrived from Lama Gompa and Domkhar, and later from Penlop Wangdi, with letters from HH and Naku; HH has sent another load. Tenduk rejoined after a long detour via Yundrucholing and Trongsa due to a washed-out bridge over the Wochen Chu, bringing a good collection of iris seeds from Punzor in the Mangde Chu valley.

CONTENT:
8th August. To Sefu. 7 miles. Rained all night: fine till 12.0 then rain all day. Tenduk never came back yesterday, and has not yet turned up. He must have found a bridge washed away, and has had to go back by Trongsa. I hope he has not been washed away too. More presents and letters arrived yesterday from Lama Gompa and Domkhar. I hope that is now all. Pritiman distinguished himself by falling into a stream today. He gets laughed at by everyone, but today he was by himself and no one would have known if he had only emptied the water out of my rucksack which he was carrying. The contents were not improved of course. Tenduk arrived at 7.0 pm, having walked from Trongsa today about 27 miles. On his way back from Punzor he found the bridge over the Wochen Chu washed away, so had to return to Yundrucholing and then round by Trongsa. (Iris decora? seeds - from Punzor, Mangde Chu valley) He has a very good collection of iris seed, which he found fully ripe and mostly thrown in the lower irises, but in good condition higher up, even unripe at their highest limit. I am very glad he is back again. He gives me the unwelcome information that still another load has been sent by HH for me. Three men came yesterday with presents from Penlop Wangdi and letters from HH and Naku. I thought all the present business was over. I'm glad

SUMMARY:
Diary records marches from Trashidinka to Ritang and on to Samtegang, with heavy rain, heat, and severe leech problems. The author collects primula roots and some iris seed, notes lilies seen but unreachable, and mentions a mule sent by Tobgye to meet at Wangdipotrang.

CONTENT:
on the way to Samtegang.

8th August. To Trashidinka. Tang Chu valley. 11 miles. Heavy rain all night, fine and very hot today. Collected roots of the small new petiolaris primula 3192, and also some seed, which however is not yet ripe. It is beastly hot down here, and I have not very great hope of getting these roots home, with more than a week of this heat still to go before reaching Ha.

9th August. To Ritang. 6 m. There is a path which leads down the Tang Chu, which is a much quicker way between Ritang and Trashidinka than the way we went up. Follow the left bank down to m 1 1/2 then cross to the R bank to m 4. Recross and ascend fairly easily to Ritang monastery at 5 1/2 and village at 6. Path is good. Leeches were very bad and I had nearly 40 bites on my feet. We saw one Lilium wallichianum, but not in flower, and collected some iris seed.

10th August. Samtegang. 13 miles. Rained very hard all yesterday evening, all night and all today without a stop. More lilies seen across the Tang Chu, but we could not reach them. Tobgye has sent a mule to meet me at Wangdipotrang, and it came on up here. Rain keeps it reasonably cool for the primula roots, and I don't mind some more days of

SUMMARY:
Diary entries describe uncertainty about coolies, plans to reach Bumthang before Betty departs Denchung, and subsequent marches from Amhlungnang over Jü La and Goktang La to Gorzam Camp above Dhur. Noted were heavy rains, a halt day, and rich alpine flora including Meconopsis species, Primula hopeana, a high-altitude iris, and the discovery of a new lily during a fine day interrupted by a storm.

CONTENT:
stuff. We are not now sure if our coolies will come tonight or not. It will be bad if we can't get off tomorrow, but we still can reach Bumthang before Betty, who leaves Denchung on tomorrow. Quite a fine day for such a soaking place as the Bhomali is.

20th July. Amhlungnang. 4 m S of Jü La. A fine day. A long march from 5.45 to 2.30, over two high passes, 14,500 + 15,500 about, and rain very heavy all day. Danong had been over the whole place ten days before, so we were not likely to find much again. Mec. bella very common and growing on open grassy slopes as well as cliffs. Mec. horridula also very common, and a fine colour, often favouring marshy very wet places, in a queer way. M. sinuata also common. P. Hopeana with a red tube, either white or yellow, in great numbers. Down here, there is an Iris, the first high altitude iris I've seen yet. I should think the area is good for a pretty thorough examination, but we will have no time for that. The passes are called the GOKTANG LA and the JÜ LA, the latter being the higher.

21st July. Halt. Stayed in camp. Very wet day.

22nd July. GORZAM Camp 4 m above Dhur. This was a very fine day altogether. It was misty and damp when we left at 6.0 am, but cleared up and we saw blue sky and sun for some hours. It was fine till 3.30 when a terrific storm of rain came on, half an hour before we reached camp. I don't know how long the march was: it was a good long way, but there were plenty of flowers, and good ones, and we did not notice how far it was. I started with a yellow iris, but the pick of the bunch came about halfway, with the finding of a new lily. How lucky this was can be guessed when one thinks that only one flower was seen, and that that happened to be almost exactly where I stopped to put flowers in the press. We would almost...

SUMMARY:
The diarist leaves the Tsangpo valley toward Nayü La, noting views of Gyala Tsutum and a local legend linking its summit to Samye via Yüsum. On 5th July at Nayü Chu, progress is delayed by lack of coolies despite assurances from Kusho and the gyimpon; on 6th July, after heavy rain, the party camps north of Nayü La and records notable plants including Lilium giganteum, a white water lily, and Smilacina.

CONTENT:
...were there, and had a talk with her. I only just caught a glimpse of her this morning.

The Nayü La is said to be only two days off, an easy pass which is only shut by snow in the Tibetan 10th month, which would be December. And we heard before that Lopas had come to Tsela in May. The gyimpon says he has gone to the first Lopa houses in four days from here, but that a Lopa, if he wants to could reach them in two from here, going light. Just as I was leaving the Tsangpo valley today it started to clear up in the East, and I caught a glimpse of a lovely scene, which I hope I will see again. Straight down the valley, beyond Tsela Dzong is a lovely snow covered mountain, locally called Gyala Tsutum (G. Peri of the map?). It is said to have had its top cut off, to be carried to Samye. But when at Yüsum, it was stopped in some way by a female deity (?) and planted there. The little hill just S of Yüsum is now said to be this peak, and pilgrims go round it.

5th July. Camp in Nayü Chu. 5 miles. Fine and bright all day long. No rain. A wasted day however. Kusho assured us there was no trouble about coolies, that all would be ready early in the morning. He always says this, and cannot get him to say what he knows. Three coolies had turned up by 8.0 am, then I went off. We waited some hours on the way up and two more appeared. Finally had to stop here, and we waited hopefully as gradually an odd man turned up, till finally the last lot of impressed Lopas arrived in camp at 6.30 pm. So at any rate we are off and with luck should reach the Pass tomorrow. Nothing of interest again. P. Florindae very common, and P. firmipes (flexilipes?) also, but over. The tree GIUGO from which the wooden teapots are made is a maple of sorts, not the one found further west though. I have not seen it before. (No. 5740.).

6th July. Camp about 4 m. N. of Nayü La. 9 miles. BP. 193.4. Temp 65° Time 2.30 pm. Ht app. 10700'
Rained pretty steadily at night, and all morning there was heavy rain. From 2.0 pm on, more or less fine. This was a much more interesting day. I am surprised how low we still are, but we have reached the very wet zone, and flowers are more numerous. I saw what is almost certainly P. Whitei on the way up here - not in flower of course. The most interesting things were Lil. giganteum 5743, and a white water lily 5759, the first we have ever come across. A new Smilacina too was collected, 5756, and a beautifully coloured one 5754, probably the same as that taken in Bhutan last year. This valley must have been a huge lake at some time. It abounds in swamps, in fact...

SUMMARY:
Travel across a broad valley over a pass to the plain leads to the Dzong of Talung, with a river crossing, dirty water, and little fuel amid persistent rain and low cloud. Yamdrok Tso is a disappointment in the weather, though many ducks, greylag geese, and black-necked cranes are noted, and animal loads are assigned by a local elder drawing garters.

CONTENT:
93

a broad open valley to a pass at m 3 over a shoulder, about 750'
above the plain. Thence a gradual descent on the west side
past a village on a spur, to the plain again at m 4.
A small river is crossed here by a bridge, and the path then
B. 29. lies over an open damp plain, the Dzong of Talung being
Types of seen in the distance built on an isolated rock. It is
Tibetans loading reached at m 8. Water apt to be very dirty after rain. A
up at LING: little wood fuel available. // Most of the night it rained off and on,
yaks: children and was still raining in the morning. The clouds were right
down on the hills. We waited till 9:45 and then the sun
suddenly came out, but it was clouded over all day, with
only patches of sunshine. The Yamdrok Tso was therefore
B. 29. finished. a disappointment, though even in the bad weather, it
The west end of looked fine. The edges had many duck round
the Yamdrok Tso: them, and close to the lake were hundreds of greylag
A general view geese. On the flat plain we saw some black-necked
of the Yamdrok crane (Grus nigricollis), two of which I took a cinema
Tso, from near of. The start this morning was quite amusing. When
the west end. all the loads were laid out, it was a question as
to who should take which load, that was decided by
a venerable old man taking a garter each from the
B. 30. men and women who were to load up the animals. These
A pair of he held behind his back, and went round all the
black-necked pairs of loads, putting one garter on each pair.