Part 91 - Halt at Mara Chu valley: collections, weather, and plans

1 page

SUMMARY:
The party halts in the Mara Chu valley amid heavy rain, severe damdim flies, and increasing leeches, taking hypsometer readings and collecting rhododendrons including R. rhabdotum and a Maddenii-series specimen (No. 3147). Pintso and the diarist visit the confluence with the Mara Chu; mail is to be sent via Chirang to Sarbhang, and plans are made to return to Phobjikha after one more day.

CONTENT:
extending down the valley for a considerable way. Tenduk has just turned up.

8000ft 29th May. Halt Mara Chu valley. Rained very heavily all last evening almost all the night. No sun today, but fine till 12.0 after which heavy rain onset. Pintso & I went down to the meeting of the path with the Mara Chu, probably rather more than 2 miles from here. Hypsometer readings here were: BP. 203.8°, Temp. 73°. Time 9.0 am. This would be a little lower, if anything than Adao on the L. bank, but there are some houses on the R. bank too. We saw plenty of R. rhabdotum, & I took one specimen of another rhod. under No 3147, which is a Maddenii series, but which I can't make out. It is scarce here, has a beautiful scent, & grows rather like R. rhabdotum. Otherwise the things we got were of no great interest. Trongpen & Tenduk were equally unlucky. As the damdim flies are so awful here, we are only going to stay one more day, & then return to Phobjikha. Leeches fairly numerous, & probably increasing every day now. Pintso will take a small mail to Adao tomorrow, & have it sent off next day via Chirang to Sarbhang.

30th May. Halt. Rained till about midnight heavily. Fine in the morning & most of the day. Damdim flies awful. They seem to get