Showing 10 results

SUMMARY:
At W. Tsanangho, the diarist reports heavy rain and poor visibility, explores the Tsanangha valley, and notes scarce primulas overall but finds two primulas new to them (No. 5865 of the Dryadifolia section and No. 5872, a nivalid close to P. sino-purpurea). Logistics are disrupted due to Kushu’s arrangements, reducing planned time on the Kuchaha; Kesang and a local accompany the outing, with observations of musk deer and local attire from Kongbo.

CONTENT:
And we found Cassiope wardii for the first time 5846. Primulas are more remarkable for their absence than anything else. We only saw P. Paulingii, P. prenantha, P. Dryadifolia & P. doshongensis (or is it P. Kongboensis?). No new ones, none of the old favorites like P. baileyensis, P. valentiniana or even P. Rockii, nor is there any sign here of P. Elizabethae. Thanks to Kushu's bad arrangements—it is his fault rather than the coolies—I can only stop here 1 day, owing to shortage of coolies' rations. And instead of 6 days on the Kuchaha, I will have but 2.

W. Tsanangho
18th July. Halt. A very wet night, & pouring rain all day. I would like to have seen this place on a clear day, with its glaciers & towering cliffs. It should be a fine sight, but there seems no hope in the monsoon, this year at any rate. We went straight up the main valley today to the Tsanangha. I certainly don't think laden coolies could manage it now, but why did they not say that was their reason.

We found the hillside very bare at first, on the whole there is remarkably little in this valley, good as it appears to be in the distance. However it had some good things. P. Valentiniana is profuse over a wide area, P. prenantha also, & P. Paulingii & P. vernicosa. P. Rockii is over, but common—a rather small form. P. Jonarduni too is common above 14000 ft. But we at last managed to find two new primulas—new to us anyway—after I had almost given up hope. One is I think another of the Dryadifolia section, or so it would appear from the roots & leaves & general habit. But it also has a marked pompom of hairs at the throat, which I thought was peculiar to the Bella section. It is a pretty little primula (5865) & oddly enough, grows close to P. Jonarduni. But the best found was No 5872, a Nivalid which appears to be close to P. sino-purpurea. Except for the colour, rich purple—it gives one an idea of P. obliqua, with the adaxial lobes reflexed in exactly the same way. I think it must take pride of place this year with P. Elizabethae, another nivalid. Musk deer seem to be pretty common here, as we walked on to two. Lerwa also common, & a lot of Coelicolor above.

Kesang & a local came with me today. The local wore a vampire hat, peculiar to the wet districts of Kongbo, made of coarse felt, with a wide undulating brim, very useful in this rain. Very cold indeed today, with a strong wind on the hilltops from the SW, driving what was then almost sleet. Fresh snow again on the highest peaks.

SUMMARY:
Ascent to Takar La in heavy rain followed by a descent into a dry zone with lingering snow and old avalanches made travel difficult for ponies. The writer notes abundant primulas on the east side, observes and releases a Lerwa chick, and records P. bellidifolia, K.W.'s new sikkimensis, and P. tibetica near camp.

CONTENT:
Sherriff
Takar La 28. Potentilla glabra var. rhodocalyx 2231, Gentianella 2233, Androsace zayuanensis 2234, Anemone strigillosa v. canescens 2235, Anemone demissa var. grandiflora 2236, Corydalis 2237, 2238, Pedic. oldenii 2239.
Sherriff

28th June. Camp Zimsakhi 14000' 8 miles. Rained hard all morning as we climbed to the Takar La (16700') at about 11.5. The rain continued to half way down here, then we were in the dry zone, & could see there had been no rain down here. Both sides of the pass have much snow, old avalanches which will stay all year I suppose. There were masses of primulas on the E side, far more than on this side. All kinds of sikkimensis, yellow & white (2211 & 2212), the red one (odontica) 2158 in masses & the little white (vernicosa) 1615. But nothing new could we see. At about 15500 saw four Lerwa with young. Caught one chick & released it. Snow made it difficult for the ponies on the way down, often had a job, unloading, walking over their saddle cloths & then on again. All bare shale slopes both sides near the top. On this side the descent is steep most of the way every step down the last bit to camp. P. bellidifolia is pretty common on the open hillside & among scrub. K.W.'s new sikkimensis is not common. It is a queer flower, the claws folded right back on the tube & calyx - not altogether pretty, but with a most beautiful scent. P. tibetica is still in bloom & growing.

SUMMARY:
The diarist crosses the steep Kangin La (c. 15,250'), descends past a small lake, joins the route from Potrang, and follows the right bank of a stream to Tahtsang. Notes include Lerwa with young and several Primula observations and collections, including a pink form like that from the Chichchar valley (No. 2195), a minutissima-section primula (No. 2194), 'Ramzana's' primula, and a yellow form (No. 2175).

CONTENT:
meet here tomorrow. However, I am going on tomorrow myself, so we will have to meet later. I came the short cut here, over the Kangin La. The path is extremely steep for 3/4 m to the pass which must be about 15,250'. Then fairly steep down an easy path, over a little snow, for another 3/4 m to a small lake. Takpa Shiri is left on the R. Thence over grassy hillside and through rhododendron to the fir forest. At m 2 1/2 the route from Potrang is met. Thence follow the R bank of the stream through forest by an easy path to Tahtsang, a good C.G. if small. On the way up to the pass I passed some Lerwa with young, which were hidden, but the parents were rather worried. This side of the pass, there was a lot of P. dryadifolia and a primula which looks exactly like the purple one found in the Chichchar valley so profuse. But this is much pinker and has not the same eye. I took some of it under No. 2195. On the path, just clear of snow was a primula of the minutissima section, which I have never seen before 2194. It cannot be called beautiful, but might be new. 'Ramzana's' prim. was seen here and there down to camp, and the yellow 2175. Then in

SUMMARY:
Entries describe observations around Mira La, including Lerwa, snipe, and abundant Notholirion campanulatum, with fieldwork by the diarist alongside Tsungpen and Tendu yielding notable finds such as Meconopsis horridula var. lutea and a distinctive Saxifraga. Taylor is ill then recovers, Anna falls ill, and a Pu chu man is engaged to collect seeds for delivery to a monastery below the Dzong at Tsela Dz.; later a move north of Mira La is hampered by slow and misrouted coolies, with Chomo Dzong noted next.

CONTENT:
60

Butterflies
Some of these tomorrow. No sign of any Parnassius butterflies, although the hills seem ideal
Birds
for them. No snow cock seen or heard, but Lerwa common. One snipe seen, nearly hit by
Tsungpen with a catapult, but it fluttered away and was taken by a kite. There is a small
wooden hut here, and some yakherds further up the valley. A good camp site. At yesterday's camp
Notholirion
there were many Notholirion campanulatum. I counted more than a dozen together in one
place. It is rather smaller and pinker than the one I took under No. 5923: from Kulu Phu Chu.

Mira La
14th August. Halt. Fine nearly all day, with a few showers. Taylor still very unfit and unable to go out
at all, but he feels better this evening. Anna is also down with flu or something like that. I went
out to the West, with Tsungpen, Tendu and a coolie. We did not find very much, but we got some good
P. Younghusbandii 6061
things. Primula aff. macrocarpa is very interesting (6061): it has such flaccid leaves, with copious
Mec. horridula var. lutea 6062
white farina. The best find was probably Mec. horridula var. lutea 6062, which is only known
from our three specimens seen in 1936 in Tsari. It is very common here. A beautiful little
Sax. haematochroa 6070 sp. nov. type
Saxifraga was found by Tendu (6070) which was coloured soft velvety dark crimson. A lovely evening
today, the sky tonight absolutely clear.

15th August. Halt. Fine all day, with one short shower. Taylor all right again, and did a full day on the
Butterfly Birds
hillside. I got few flowers, but caught 10 Parnassius and saw three P. tischelanus. It is clear again tonight
and looks very promising for tomorrow. I have arranged for a Pu chu man, who has been to Darjeeling,
Seeds
to collect seeds of Mec. horridula var. lutea and take them to a small monastery below the Dzong at
Tsela Dz. In return he is to get Rs 5/- (Indian). I have told him to come here in one
month's time.

16th August. Camp. North of Mira La. Fine till 11.00 am, then a good deal of rain, some thunder. The
coolies were terribly slow, some taking 5 hours to the Pass. None would admit to knowing the Pass,
and some went over a different one to the one the rest crossed. They reached a different valley of
course, and never turned up at all tonight. So I have no tent and bed. Flowers disappointing.
Notholirion
Near camp, Notholirion campanulatum very common indeed.

17th August. Chomo Dzong. 12 miles. Rained in the morning, fine but cloudy afternoon. Coolies

• SUMMARY:
  Notes a small patch of Primula tenuiloba on steep rocky cliffs, followed by observations of a Lerwa nest with five eggs and an Anthus nest with three eggs. At Mipa, records abundant primulas on hillsides, with Tenduk bringing specimens from Lhapu and a blue primula (2173) and another from Natrampa, and lists several Primula specimens (2137, 2173–2178).

CONTENT:
Ludlow

• P. alpestris 1831, 1833, Incarvillea lutea 1827 Prim. erosa 1832, = Ludlow at Kyimdong Dzong June 18th 96

P. tenuiloba 2172
P. tenuiloba 2172 in a small patch, where the cliffs are very steep & loose sharp rocks abound. It is a very pretty little thing. Huge flowers for its small leaves. Nothing more was seen till Mipa, in the flower line, but I walked on to a Lerwa's nest. It was under a very small Lonicera bush, shaded from rain, & only open from the downhill side, made of dried grass, & with a few feathers inside. Five eggs which took me 1 1/2 hours to blow, all with fledged chicks in them. A little further on I came across an Anthus nest with three eggs, perhaps A. hodgsoni? I did not take the eggs.

Mipa
Mipa is on a plain, with waterfalls coming down on all sides & a large heap of avalanche snow beside my camp below the hut. The hillsides above camp are liberally covered with primulas, in many places there is just moss with a primula shooting up every inch. P. Roylei (Calderiana), macrophylla, the blue purple one rather like Roylei & the bright claret are most common. Tenduk came in with the minute one found at Lhapu (2137) & the beautiful blue one which is just coming out everywhere 2173, & also the one Danu found at Natrampa. Two kept in a tin till it opened (2174). Tenduk found

P. rhodochroa 2137, 2177
P. Cawdoriana 2173
P. dickieana var. pantlingii 2174, 2178

SUMMARY:
The party halted near Migyitun, explored east up the valley to the Tsokar lake via the Nga La and Pang La, and collected game while noting Primula species abundant around 13,000 ft amid continuous rain. A mix-up over a horse with the headman occurred earlier, and on a subsequent rainy halt day they stayed in to pack and finally received a long-awaited mail.

CONTENT:
Primula, with very hairy leaves, was seen, but it is not yet out; it will be a full week or more before the first are in bloom. I thought a horse had been ordered for me, and was rather peeved with the headman when it did not turn up. So I made him carry my camera and come with me. But it appeared afterwards that he never got the order for a horse.

31st May. Halt. Went up all together up the valley E of Migyitun, then up the road to the Tsokar lake, over the Nga La and Pang La. I shot two Lerwa and a snow cock, Ludlow 3 Lerwas. The snow cock seems to be a new species altogether, much smaller than the usual one. Saw no new flowers, but P. glabra and the purple Roylei — a beauty — were everywhere at about 13,000 ft. Rained all day.

1st June. Halt. Rained all day. None of us went out and spent the day in packing up and rearranging loads. Our mail arrived at last, and was a good fat one. What a joy it is to get the mail after just on two months. It is really worth waiting for. I suppose it was not really

SUMMARY:
The author remarks on a prominent peak remembered from Dumpshinggang, sights two Lerwa and skins one, and records several alpine plants on and below the pass as snow rapidly melts. On 9–10 June, during halts, the assistants return few specimens despite instructions; the party makes a short excursion up a western valley before rain, and the author laments the absence of Tsongpen while criticizing Ngudup and considering sending him back to H.H.

CONTENT:
sign of it, it is obvious that one can't see it from anywhere near the Pass. But the other peak is a fine one, which I well remember seeing from Dumpshinggang. On our way back I saw two Lerwa. At least that is what I think they are, but it is so many years since I've seen them, that they appeared nearer Kuling to me, though that seems impossible. In case they are, I skinned one of them. We found on the pass, P. glabra, & lower down masses of Anemone narcissiflora, Lloydia serotina, one Nomocharis nana & many Prim. pusilla about 1" high in bud. So things are moving, there is no doubt they are. I have noticed how very quickly the snow is melting now; each day shows marked changes, that means flowers will be on the move too. I wish these two lads knew something of flowers. They go out & look at many cliffs, but unless they see a flower, they can tell me nothing.

9th June Halt - Another fine day, but no flowers. The two boys came back with only 15 specimens for their three days down the valley. They must have left many flowers behind, but neither knows what to do really, & I suppose I cannot expect them to bring much. But they even did not bring flowers I particularly asked for. A disappointing day, when I had expected a good deal. How I miss Tsongpen now, when I can't get about so much.

10th June Halt. Another good day until 2.0, when we got back. There was heavy rain then, but we were in in time. We all went up the valley to the west of here & had quite a good day. Ngudup is the one who is most disappointing always now. Everything is an effort to him, & I often think of returning him to H.H. to be

SUMMARY:
Notes mention obtaining a rose finch (Procarduelis rubescens) at Lopa Sho La Chu, rare in Bhutan in 1933–1934 but plentiful in SE Tibet in 1936. Observations include Lerwa with young at 15,500' east of Takar La, magpies common at Zimsaktoi, and white-breasted dippers. Several plant taxa are listed.

CONTENT:
Lud. Ibis 354 Ludlow at Singo Samba
Obtained a Rose Finch - Procarduelis rubescens Lopa Sho La Chu
rare in Bhutan in 1933 & 1934. Tho' plentiful Pedic. megalochila v. ligulata 1874 var. nov.
enough in the conifer forests of SE Tibet both N. & S. of Megacodon stylophora 1875
the main range in 1936. Anemone 1876
Mecon. simplicifolia 1877

Lerwa with young 15500' E of Takar La.
Magpies pretty common at Zimsaktoi.
White breasted Dippers.

SUMMARY:
Notes on high-altitude collecting near Maruthang, including marked Primula uniflora, and concern over snow making work difficult. The writer reports that Ludlow has given up hopes of visiting Tibet and booked passage home, while at Haat heavy rain and snow are foretold by 'Lerwa' calls and a local drogpa’s warning.

CONTENT:
pretty well finished the high altitude stuff, but Pasang and Mundru will have to get some high altitude things beyond Maruthang, and an inch or two of snow makes that very difficult indeed. One of Mundru's primulas there is P. uniflora, which is only 2-2½" high when in flower. He has marked all these plants, but even so, it will not be easy. Ludlow will be having a very chilly time now. We are only at 13500' here, air is quite cold enough. His camps will often be higher than that. It will be a great blow to him not to be able to visit Tibet once more, but from what he said in his last letter, he has definitely given up all hope, and even ordered his passage home on the same ship as we go on. If we could both have managed one more trip to the Gorge country, it would have finished things off very nicely. I wonder if any of the other applicants for permission to visit Tibet next year will go. It seems most unlikely.

29th September Haat. Yesterday while we were out, and while it was merely raining, a couple of coveys of 'Lerwa' called a great deal, and the local drogpa who was with us said that was a bad sign. When they called like that there would be much rain and snow. Well, he and they were quite right. It has barely stopped raining for our 3 days up here, and yesterday and today have been as bad as we've had all year. Last

SUMMARY:
Travel notes record heavy rain, difficult marching, and a camp on the Gyara Phu Chu, followed by a fine day reaching Gyara (Nepar). Common Primula species were noted, Lerwa with young were observed, and there is disappointment at few notable finds, with hopes to visit passes east of Lilung; transport delays prevent moving on to Pamse.

CONTENT:
Langong Trip has not been a great success (S. 647)

Last night and rain most of today with a few fine intervals. I have not been out much here yet, as we were late in, due to meeting a string of mules on a bad part of the path. The mules had come from Lhasa to summer in Langong for the grazing. I think this side of the Langong Chu must be a little drier than the south, though it does not appear to be much. Here P. hopeana, P. dryadifolia, P. macrophylla are very common, but we have seen nothing of interest.

To
22nd June. Camp on GYARA PHU CHU. 6 miles. BP. 191.1 T. 55° T. 3.0pm. Ht approx. 11832'.
Heavy rain last night, and very heavy all day today from 8.0am till 2.0pm. Then fine but cloudy. Our intention was to camp above the fir forest, but Chulla distinguished himself and came on another 4 miles. It did not matter as it happened, because we found no flowers to delay us high up. We saw Lerwa at 15,000 - 4 adult birds with a clutch of young. The adults all kept together looking after the young as if it were a joint family. On the N. of the pass P. kansuensis was very common, and some P. hopeana and dryadifolia. The forest was too dense on the way down for us to see much, and we could not see up any side valleys. The rain was really awful for two hours and soaked us through. This is a big river at the moment, and I suppose comes in from the Pacha Peaks. It is sad to think that the longest day is past, and I don't feel that I have got very much yet. It has been disappointing so far, but I hope for better finds further East, if only we can get where we want to go. There are three Passes East of Lilung, the Magu, Shoka and Namdo Las, each of which I hope to visit, but I feel that we will be lucky indeed if that all comes off. Ludlow and Sherriff will also I expect have found that this is not such a good area as that we visited in 1936. Or it may only be that everything in East Tsari is considerably later, due to more snow. Today was very cold indeed, and I don't remember any days as cold as this in Tsari.

To
23rd June. GYARA (Nepar). 4 miles. A really fine day at last, with a shower or two, but hot real sun in between. We have dried all our bedding and everything. I hoped to get on to Pamse, but transport changes here and at Pamse as well. There are no horses here, all are up the valley and won't be down till the evening. So here we must remain.