SUMMARY:
Page shows the imprint of W. Newman & Co., booksellers, stationers, and printers in Calcutta; no diary content is present.

CONTENT:
W. NEWMAN & Co.
BOOKSELLERS
STATIONERS
PRINTERS &c
Calcutta

SUMMARY:
List of supplies and equipment including hams, tarpaulins, various tinned foods (mushrooms, beans, fruits), staples such as flour, dhal, tea, spirits (gin, whiskey, rum), cigarettes, nails, and 12-gauge cartridges. Quantities are recorded for each item, with some noted in tins or pounds. 'Delhi flour' is specified among the staples.

CONTENT:
Hams 2. Tarpaulins 16.
Gun 2 Marmalade 25
Essences 12. Jam 11 + 1
Sigris 3. Syrup 1 + 7 lbs + 4 lbs + 1 + 1
Cotton Wool. 3 Honey 2 + 4
Antiflo. 4 Cheese 26
1" + 2" nails tins 3
Whalen Valves ..
Do. Mushroom
Do. Fr beans
Do. Cabbage
Do. Apricots
Do. Apples
Do. Prunes
Do. Sultanas
Do. Tomatoes
Cornbean 1
Gin 2
Lime Juice 1
Whiskey 1
Rum 1
Delhi flour 2
Dhal 2
Tea pkts 7
" brick 1
Cigarettes tins 56
" pkts 50
Curry powder 2 + 1
Bitters 1
12 G. cartridges 200

SUMMARY:
Notes the 1933 traverse across Bhutan via the central highway, leaving Gangtok and being delayed at Changu on 5 May due to snow on the Natu La. Records bird observations across Changu, the Chumbi and Ha valleys, and the Tibetan plateau, including a Wood Snipe sighting by Sherriff near Mago.

CONTENT:
3a

Itinerary 1933.

Ibis 6. The most important highway in Bhutan traverses the country from W. to E. through the middle temperate region. This was the route we chose in 1933. It is aligned at right angles to the parallel ranges which spring from the main axis, thus it soon ascends a pass then it dips down into an adjoining valley. This was rather a switchback method of progression but it afforded so many opportunities of studying the zonal distribution of birds (and flowers) & it had its advantages.

Leaving Gangtok in Sikkim, on 5th May we were held up at Changu for a week owing to heavy snow on the Natu La. During our enforced halt at Changu most interesting birds were:

Himalayan Blackbird
Turdus merula buddhae. Ibis 273-4. Found the Blackbird in large numbers between 13,500-15,000 ft at various stages between the Bum La, north of Tawang, and the Tse La in the Mago District. Confined to S.E. & S.W. Tibet at 12,500 and over. On 6th Nov. it is often seen on rocky grassy hill slopes covered with dwarf rhododendron bushes, etc. etc.

Pyrrhospiza punicea punicea. Ibis 470-472. Red-breasted Rose Finch. Plumage of the female difficult to understand.

Ibis 478. Tibetan Mountain Finch
Fringalauda brandti haematopygia. Common in suitable localities on the Tibetan plateau. Rather surprised to meet with it at Changu in early May.

Capella nemoricola. Wood Snipe - Ibis 503. In the hills W. of Mago in early August Sherriff saw many of this snipe flighting like woodcock of an evening, uttering a "Chur, Chur" call.

A few days spent in the Chumbi Valley, whence we proceeded in a leisurely manner to Ha. Crossed into Ha valley by the twin passes Chele La & Ha La, halting for 10 days at Sharithang and Damthang, 2 encampments set amidst beautiful conifer & rhododendron forest on either side of the Massong Chung Dong Range. Here we found:

Nucifraga caryocatactes hemispila. Ibis 22. Nutcracker! Common throughout Bhutan from 6,000 ft up to tree-limit. Observed at 12,000 in the Hamo Chu valley in Tibet near Lhakhang Dzong. (See p 19a)

Lophophanes rufonuchalis beavani. Ibis 24. S.K. Black Tit. Common everywhere, S. of the main range, from 9,000 to tree limit, seen above, for it was often seen in low rhododendron scrub at 14,000 ft.

Lophophanes dichrous. Black-browed Crested Tit. This bird has the same distribution as beavani and is equally common.

Aegithaliscus iouschistos rufiventer. Ibis 25. Tolerably common in W. Bhutan; only seen once in E. Bhutan though the party was one of 30-40 individuals. Birds of mixed deciduous & conifer forest.

Garrulax albogularis albogularis. Ibis 31. White-throated Laughing Thrush.

Suthora unicolor unicolor. Ibis 26. The Brown Suthora. A silent, sedentary, skulking bird generally found in thick bamboo jungle.

Ianthocincla ocellata ocellata. Ibis 32. Spotted Laughing Thrush. Throughout Bhutan between 7-11,000 ft in summer.

Phylloscopus magnirostris. Large-billed Warbler. Common on plateau forest from 7,000 upwards.

Trochocercus trochiloides. Ibis 288. Dull green Willow Warbler.

Pyrrhula erythrocephala. Ibis 469. Red-headed Bullfinch. A tame quiet bird common from 9,000 ft upwards in Bhutan.

Pyrrhoplectes epauletta. Ibis 469. Gold-headed Black Finch.

Propyrrhula subhimachala subhimachala. Ibis 470. Red-headed Rose Finch.

Tragopan satyra. Ibis 497.

Ithaginis cruentus cruentus. 498. Blood Pheasant.

SUMMARY:
Entries for January 6–9 describe a snowy halt, peak angle measurements from a Dzong, and marches to Layoting and Camp Namdi. The writer disputes Ward and Bailey on the visibility of Gyala Peri, notes friendly villages, a nearby peak Gelung Jokpo, forests transitioning from pine to dense broadleaf, and observations of birds, clematis, and abundant Lilium giganteum.

CONTENT:
letters. He says he will arrive in about 22 days. Our own next mail will not leave here for 7 or 8 weeks or so until we reach India in 3 months from now, so this is worth while.

Jan 6th & 7th Halt. Snowed night of 6-7th then cleared up to a beautiful day. On 7th I took the angles to peaks from the Dzong. They are: - to left-hand peak 114° : to two peaks in centre 132° to big right-hand nearest peak 150°. I disagree with Ward's identification of Gyala Peri. Everyone in Tongkyuk says it cannot be seen from Tongkyuk.

Jan 8th LAYOTING. 9 miles. A good fine day. Left at 10.0 got in at 3.30. Road good mostly fit for loaded animals. At mile 2 from the bridge pass village of DABLA, about 4 houses. Layoting has about 12 houses. People here very friendly. From here a fine snow peak with cut top lies to the South up a bleak looking valley in which are said to be many 'takin', locally called CHIMNYA. There is a sling or cane bridge over to this valley. The peak at the head of the valley is called GELUNG JOKPO. From down near the river, Gyala Peri can be seen in the distance. Forest is first almost entirely pine, then changes to pretty dense mixture of pine, holly oak & shrubs.

Jan 9th Camp NAMDI. On the whole the road was uninteresting. It keeps beside the river all the way till about 1 mile from camp. As soon as it left the river & went up a bit to the forest, we found many things of interest, both birds & flowers. The change was most marked. At camp the forest is dense, evergreen broadleaf & shrubs. Bailey mentions that Gyala Peri is visible at the head of the Netrang Chu, but in this I think he is wrong. The peak seen there is very close indeed. I took a photo of it. It lies almost due S of the Netrang Chu junction with the Tongkyuk Chu. At camp we found three clematis in seed, the flowers of two were seen later on. There is a great deal of Lilium giganteum in this forest from here on.

SUMMARY:
The party, joined by Mr. F. Williamson and Raja S.T. Dorji at Ha, traveled via Chele La to Paro en route to Bumthang, receiving such hospitality from the Paro Penlop that collecting was not possible. Notes describe local archery equipment and a drive for serow and musk deer.

CONTENT:
Ludlow Iris 9.
At Ha we were joined by the late Mr. F. Williamson C.I.E. Political Officer in Sikkim
& Raja S.T. Dorji, together we journeyed to Bumthang, the summer residence
of His Highness the Maharaja.

Lud Iris 9
We left Ha on 21 June, ascended the Chele La dropped down into the wide
open valley in which Paro is situated. We stayed here a week as the guests
of the Paro Penlop, during which time we were treated with such lavish
hospitality that collecting was out of the question.

Ludlow June 15
Archery - the bow is a 6ft bamboo
bow; the bowstring appears to be
made from the fibres of a nettle.
Targets placed at a distance of
150 yards. One sees leather &
finger stalls & a forearm pad
otherwise finger tips & forearm
get very sore.

Ludlow June 16th
Describe a drive for serow
& musk deer.
Serow - Himalayan Goat-antelope.

SUMMARY:
The diarists travel from Lahore to Calcutta, meet friends, shop in the New Market, lunch with Collins, and see the film 'The Mutiny on the Bounty.' They continue by the Assam mail, receive a telegram from Chris about Mother at Parbatipur and Kumarikhata, reach Rangiya early, drive to Darrang Mela, find large crowds, and meet the Dzongpen of Trashigang and Shangia.

CONTENT:
Nine people in the carriage, besides a great deal of kit. However this only lasted till Lahore, where we changed to the mail and had a compartment to ourselves. It was nowhere too hot, a very pleasant change to last time we came down where it was 117° in Lahore. The Ellvers and Miss Cameron came down to see us at the station. Calcutta reached on 12th morning, and we had a busy day shopping there, getting a few extra presents, including a dozen felt hats in the New Market, which was great fun. Collins came to lunch and we dined in his chummery then went on to the cinema - "The Mutiny on the Bounty", one of the best films I have ever seen. Next day at 1.0 pm we left by the Assam mail. At Parbatipur I got Chris' telegram about Mother, and later on another one at Kumarikhata. We reached Rangiya about 5.45 am and after a shave and breakfast, came on in a car to Darrang Mela. Unlike last year, this only took about 1 1/2 hours on a dry road. There was a huge crowd at the mela - half Bhutan seems to be there just now. We met the Dzongpen of Trashigang and Shangia.

SUMMARY:
The party repeatedly paddled the river from Menoka, met Basu Pradhan with a car, continued to Kumarikhata for refreshments, and settled matters with the local postmaster while noting his meagre pay compared with Tambulpur. They reached Kumarikhata at 10:30, left at 12:30, arrived at Rangiya station at 1:00 pm, and note an onward route through several towns.

CONTENT:
Menoka. I found the river a very different affair to what it was on our way up. But we had to paddle across it about 25 times or so. Just below Menoka we met Basu Pradhan with a car, and the lorry also turned up then. We went on to Kumarikhata, where Pradhan produced whisky, oranges, tea, biscuits and cake, and we settled with the postmaster.

The poor postmaster is given pay of only Rs 6/- per month. Who would work for 9 shillings a month at home? For a man who can read and write and keep accounts, and is honest enough to handle hundreds of rupees and a fair number of parcels, Rs 6/- seems a shameful rate of pay. We promised to write in about it. The next P.O. on the road, Tambulpur, gets Rs 14/- per month, and has no work at all to do.

We reached Kumarikhata at 10:30 and left at 12:30 reaching Rangiya station at 1:00 pm. That is, we only took seven hours, whereas going up it took us 5½ days and 9 hours. Beer was the first thing asked for here, and very good it was too.

Ludlow - p 170-178
to Parbatipur, Siliguri, Gangtok, Kalimpong, Siliguri, Calcutta, Lahore, Srinagar.

SUMMARY:
The party traveled from Sanga Choling to Charme with 30 pony loads, encountering delays and afternoon rain. They visited an old lady, Ayelmu, who served tea and arranged for them to sell 12 musk pods in Calcutta and buy cloth with the proceeds; she had been married to a trader and later to the now-deceased Drugpa Rimpoche, and the writer notes that Pantan and Sanga Choling share the Drukpa religion.

CONTENT:
Too much food and no exercise since we came to Sanga Choling.

27th September. To Charme 10300 11 miles. Fine till 2.30 pm, then some pretty heavy rain. We got off reasonably early, but the kit had to be changed at m 2, and there was a long delay there. Reached Charme a little after 2.0 and all kit in at 4.0 pm. We now have 30 pony loads. The old lady came with some tea to see us off, but as we had no cups, we all went to her house. She is so full of life, and thoroughly enjoyed having us there I think. First she produced tea and tsampa and butter, then she said would we take down 12 musk pods for her and sell them in Calcutta for her: she will probably get the best part of Rs 200/- for them. Then would we buy for her cloth to the value of the money realized. She was so excited over the chance of getting this bit of trade done that she could not give us samples. However, these we finally extracted from her, and made notes of what she wanted. Then we said goodbye quite sorrowfully, and came on our way.

The old lady's name is Ayelmu, and she was married first to a trader, then to the Drugpa Rimpoche, who is also now dead. It seems that Pantan and Sanga Choling have a lot in common, their religion being the same: both are called - in Lhasa - Drugpa - the

SUMMARY:
Arrangements are made to reach Bhutan from Bongaigaon, with a lorry planned onward to Hatisar. The diarist departs Kalimpong, motors to Siliguri, and travels by train via Jalpaiguri and Parbatipur to Bongaigaon, meeting Pintso and Tenduk en route; weather is very hot with afternoon thunderstorms.

CONTENT:
2

away in a few days. Tobgye has made excellent arrangements for getting up to Bhutan from the EBR at Bongaigaon, and only hope it does not rain too much. This evening there was a thunderstorm and a good deal of rain, but not enough to make the road impassable.

22nd April. Still no news of Pintso and Co, so I am off today to Bongaigaon. Weather very hot, and some rain every afternoon, but not too much yet. I hear a lorry is arranged from the station at Bongaigaon to Hatisar, our first camp in Bhutan. Later: I left Kalimpong at 11:00 and motored to Siliguri. Some very heavy rain on the way down. Train left at 5:00 pm. As we were in Jalpaiguri, I looked out of the carriage, and there were Pintso and Tenduk on the platform. They did not seem to need anything, so got into the train and came along with me. I was awfully glad to see them. They had come down from Ha in two days, and lorried from Chamarchi to Jalpai. We changed at 8:00 pm at Parbatipur and got into the little train for Bongaigaon.

SUMMARY:
Entries record weather, lakes and birdlife near Kala, transport difficulties along the Kalimpong–Gyantse route, and stages from Samoda and Kangmar to Gyantse and on to Gobshi, Ralung, and Nangartse. The party met Hugh Richardson and Pailthorpe at Gyantse, and noted snow, winds, and logistics issues with local headmen and supplies.

CONTENT:
25 October Kala. There was a curious low fog all over the plain from the main Range to the hills to the N. of us, only 50 ft up. This did not dissolve till about 1130. Then the views were wonderful again. The Rham Tso is very high & the Kala lake higher than any of us have ever seen it. Ludlow shot two cranes & 2 gadwall & 1 garganey teal. Many birds about, but all very wild. Saw three white fronted geese.

26th October. Samoda. Cloudy & cold with bright patches. Weather all along is most unlike October weather. We did well to get through transport from Kalimpong to Gyantse. Chowkidars report difficulties all along the line. The headmen of Chumbi - upper & lower - started the objection to our through transport, but Pangdatshang stopped trouble. Then Phari. Then Tuna. At Dochen & Kala the headmen will not give any dung or other supplies & it is much the same here. They give, but the chowkidar complains he always has trouble. In my opinion the trouble is likely due to two causes - the rate of exchange is against the locals, & there is only a head clerk at both Gyantse & Yatung.

27th October KANGMAR. Fine but very cloudy. Saw no game at all on the river or partridge on the hill side.

28th October. Sunkang. Fine but more cloudy than yesterday. No game. Berberis on the hillside very fine colour indeed, but no seed.

29 October. Gyantse. Cold when we arrived, & gradually got colder. Snow at night. Met & lunched & tea'd with Hugh Richardson & Pailthorpe.

30. 31. 1st. Halt. Snowed hard on 30th. 31st v. fine indeed.

2nd. Nov. Gobshi. Fine, but v. cold in the evening. Camped at Gobshi.

3rd Nov. Ralung. Fine, but strong wind up valley after 9.30.

4th Nov. Nangartse. Fine & warm. Wind strong down valley to Nangartse. Left at 0615. In at 1615 & kit about 1 hour later.