Showing 5 results

SUMMARY:
Collector notes eating wild fruits and finding mec. seed; Kashmiris sent to collect encountered bears. Halt at Bimbi La with androsace collected, then a rainy march to Chikchar amid disputes with local transport from Migyitun and a troublesome Chikchar headman, before moving on to Camp Totsoen in mist. Dawong assisted due to someone’s sickness, and Puntso managed to bring the Migyitun people up.

CONTENT:
sickness, so it was left to Dawong to help me. I hope he recovers
quickly. The other evening I went up opposite camp to look at
the cliffs, and found some mec. seed, and a lot of raspberries and currants,
and we have been eating them ever since. I sent up all Kashmiris
to collect next day, and they came across two bears, which rather
spoilt the collection.

Bimbi La
14th Sept. Halt. Beautifully fine in the morning, after a good
deal of rain at night. Got a last lot of androsace. ? A. geraniifolia

To
15th Sept. Chikchar 10 m. A foul day. Heavy rain nearly all day after 9 am.
Puntso got the Migyitun people up with some difficulty, and after a long
wait and much argument we got off at 8.0 am. The Chikchar
people are still here, but go off in a couple of days, so we cannot
wait here at all. They are the worst lot we have come across, or
rather their headman is. He thinks he is of some importance, but
of course he is of none and has never travelled anywhere, so gives
more trouble than all the others. A few G. detonsa are ripe
here at camp. I have now been here four times, and have been
very lucky, as this is the only wet visit I have had.

To
16th September. Camp Totsoen. 5 miles. It just kept fine up till about
11.0, then misted all day. We did not move till 9.0 am, as the

SUMMARY:
Notes record primulas found near a rocky nala and two Blood Pheasants shot at high elevations. During two halt days, letters were written and mail sent; the mail runner was dismissed and replaced by a 'tapion'. Dawong and Tsompen collected new primulas west of the Bimbi La while the author surveyed the hillside near camp.

CONTENT:
rocky nala, which the path crosses. Here we found three (P. caveana 1768, P. macrocarpa 1769) primulas. Two in flower, both I think new 1768 and 1769. The first is certainly new to us, and a beauty with a very fine scent. I think it must be near to P. rotundifolia, with its colour and scent. The third was not collected as it was not yet in flower, and very little was seen. Shot two Blood pheasant, Kuseri, one at about 14500 and the other close to camp at 12500.

4th June. Halt. Stayed in camp, wrote letters all day long, a very tiring thing to do. Packed up mail and sent it off, or rather gave it to go next morning.

5th June. Halt. Dismissed our mail runner for general inefficiency and grousing, and sent off the 'tapion' in his place. He will get Rs 13 a month and has been paid everything up to date. He is a thoroughly good lad. Dawong and Tsompen went up the valley to the W of the Bimbi La and brought back a new primula (P. macrophylla macrocarpa), lilac and very pretty, No 1778. Also a yellow one 1780 (P. jucunda var ponticola). I went up the hillside below camp to the E. Saw masses of Roylei, macrophylla, glabra and atrodentata.

SUMMARY:
Notes on bird collecting with Pintso and Dawong, including their roles and a plan to obtain Pnoepygas. Records movement down to the first camp, weather conditions, a fern list, and preparations by Ludlow for packing birds, with a report of 280 bird skins collected. Mentions dispatch to Trashingangsi and observations of oak-dominated forest.

CONTENT:
95

No damage done though. Pintso is rather peeved that he always gets less than Dawong if they are given guns. So he has taken out the .22 rifle and swears he will bring in some Pnoepygas somehow. Dawong's eyes are so sharp that he is great value when we are after birds. The sight of a tailless wren is almost too much for him and he gets terribly excited. If I ever come again, I will most certainly take Dawong with me.

a couple of miles lower down the valley - the camp of Sept 9th.

Polypodium griffithianum 979
" wardii 980
" dareaeforme 981
Dryopteris paleacea 985
Peranema cyatheoides 982

25th Sept. Lagnabi: Rocha Chu Valley. 8047' 2 miles. - Just fine, though cloudy all day. Down again to our first camp in this valley. It is considerably cooler than when we went up three weeks ago. Here the jungle

Quercus glauca?

is almost entirely oak, thick on the North face and thinner on the South.

26th Sept. Halted. Lagnabi - A good day with very little rain in the middle of the day. Sent Pintso and Dawong down to Trashingangsi. Dawong found all the potted flowers growing and sprouting new leaves. Ludlow fixed up some box sections for packing birds up. We have collected over

Birds

280 skins in the last month.

27th Sept. Halted. Lagnabi

SUMMARY:
Dawong and the diarist found a new Meconopsis, primulas, a Corydalis, and an Androsace on the Orka La, took photographs, and hurried back before rain, while many people came for medicine including 37.5 over proof rum for tummy aches. The page ends with an entry heading for Muktur, 12 miles, dated 11th July.

CONTENT:
Orka La. P. bellidifolia 636, P. tenuiloba 637, P. sikkimensis 640, P. gambeliana 641, P. macrophylla 642. Rhod. anthopogon 638, Mec. horridula 639, Mec. latifolia 'aurora' 643, Androsace adenophora 643. Corydalis cashmeriana 644.

remained so till I left the pass at 10 am. Dawong & I found some good flowers on the Orka La, & one could easily spend a month or so in that area. A new Meconopsis & some primulas & a beautiful little Corydalis & Androsace were found. The best spot seems to be on the big round cliff like to the South of the pass; on the north side of this there were many flowers. Beyond the pass - 1/4 mile - was a lake 100 yds across. & to the South were 3 more according to Dawong. Took some good photos on return, but had to race home to get them taken before rain came on as usual about 1.0 pm. Many people came for medicine - some for worms, some for tummy ache. Our medicine for the latter is 37.5 over proof rum, & the sight of them taking such strong liquor is good.

11th July. MUKTUR. 12 miles. (B.

SUMMARY:
The diarist reports fleas from bamboo mats, notes Lilium nepalense and collects fine Podocarpum seed while traveling from Kotakha across Suele La and Tsele La into the Phobsikha valley, then planning and taking the Chele La toward Rukusi and Chendesi amid disputes with coolies and route advice from locals. News arrives that Ludlow has sent Dawong back to Bumthang with a bad leg.

CONTENT:
Too many fleas in it, from the bamboo mats supplied by locals. Nothing of interest seen on the way, except we noticed that there are some Lilium nepalense, though not many. Kotakha is about 2½ miles beyond the Muele La, on the left bank of the wide valley. This valley here is called the Pausa Chu, and the headman says that lower down it is called the Biameshu Chu, which is marked on the map.

27th August. Issa in Phobsikha valley. Very heavy rain last night, but it was to a clear sky at last that we woke up, and set off at 5.0 am. It remained fine except for some showers till the evening. This is the first sun we have seen since I left Betty at 10.30 on the Hala-Kyu La. The ascent to the Suele La was easy in climbs, but the wind was really awful and very difficult to deal with. The pass is about 10500-11000' and about 5 miles from Kotakha. Descent easy into another broad open valley. Path skirts the top of this, keeping up pretty well. It then climbs easily again to the Tsele La at about mile 10. It is again about 11000'. Descent into the Phobsikha valley not very steep, and path comes down half way between Phobsikha and Gonte Gompa. I could not find where we were supposed to go. We had been told Gonte, but coolies insisted in coming here. The locals want us to go over the pass north of Gonte, which would mean we could not reach Chendesi tomorrow. I have refused to go that way, and we will go over another pass, the Chele La to Rukusi. Got very fine seed of Podocarpum today. No flowers at all.

28th August Chendesi - I got in at 1.0, but Tupden had to stay for one miserable coolie who did not turn up and is very late. He had to change twice, once only 3 miles away, and again at Rukusi. The pass, the Chele La, about 12000', was not bad at all, but the path this side is very poor. No news from Ludlow, but it seems he has had to send Dawong back to Bumthang with a very bad leg. He is