Showing 5 results

SUMMARY:
Diary notes from Lang La record snow, limited rhododendrons in the valley bottom, and plant collections. The route passes through the Nepar-Molo district with references to paths toward Se La and Langong, and previous finds at Natrampa and Bimbi La. On 14 April they reach Molo, noting measurements and that the headman is away while much of the population has been sent to carry timber to Lhasa.

CONTENT:
Lang La 13th April. Rh. lanatum var. luciferum 3620. Mec. betonicifolia 3621, Prim. bryoides 3622

L bank. These two villages, one either side of the river are in a district called Nepar, the whole area being called Nepar-Molo. A path goes up the valley to the south before reaching Kethong to the Se La, so to Langong, not open for 2 months yet. Distance 2 1/2 marches. We are in for bad weather it seems. It is now snowing hard - 1.0 pm. Saw little of interest today. P. atrodentata continues as far as here, but rhododendrons are few in the valley bottom, though the north face is covered dense with them & abies. Down here most of the rhododendrons are R. cinnabarinum, the beautifully coloured one we got in Natrampa & on the Bimbi La.

14th April. To Molo. 4 miles. B.P. 193.0° Temp. 56° Time 1.30 pm. Ht. 10700 ap. At last we have reached the place we are aiming at. But our luck is not yet in. There is nothing out here, except the local people. We find that the headman is away & not only that but 2/3rds of the population have been made to carry timber to Lhasa to make or remake a

SUMMARY:
Diary entries at Kula Phu Chu describe persistent rain and wind, difficulties drying collected seeds, and concern for Tsongpen traveling to the Tsanang La amid snow. Seeds of several species were gathered, and after a brief illness, Jill recovered by the 22nd; a sunny 23rd allowed successful drying and collection including Nomocharis souliei.

CONTENT:
ripe: some of the beautiful spotted saxifrage and a few other things of less importance. In the Primula marsh I failed to find any Prim. micropetala, and of all the capsules of Prim. littledalei I found, only 5 had any seed in them - fairly ripe. It is raining again this evening, but does not look too bad. Locals say a great many Lopas came over the passes this year. They also say that when the Lopas come, they bring the rain with them - true enough this year anyway. Tsongpen has gone up to the Tsanang La, where he will have a very cold and wet time I'm afraid, he has no tent. We are not used to this very strong wind which has been common for the last few nights. One would think it would drive off the rain, but it does not seem to.

Kula Phu Chu
21st September. Kulu Lungma. Rained at night, and all today lightly. The hilltops were all covered with snow this morning, I fear Tsongpen will have a bad time on the Tsanang La. I got a few seeds today, but everything is soaking wet, and I can't think how they are to be dried. There was no sun at all today, and all seeds remain very wet indeed. Jill was her usual bright and lively self all day till after she had her dinner at 2:30 pm. Then she suddenly became ill, and seems pretty bad this evening. She can still wag a tail a little, but is lying without a movement under a blanket with a hot water bottle. I wonder if she has distemper, or whether she got a cold yesterday on Go nyi re. This is the first time I have ever seen her the least bit sick or sorry for herself.

Kula Phu Chu
22nd September. Halt. Rained all night and all day. I went up the valley to get seed of a white P. alpicola, and a small lactuca, both of which I found. Besides a Berberis, there was nothing of interest. Opposite camp I got seed of a good coloured Mec. betonicifolia (Mec. betonica 6520). There is very little seed in P. Dickieana capsules, the masses I saw here in July have all been eaten by yaks and ponies. Rather a disappointing day, the rain continues so steadily, that drying these soaked seeds is a very great problem. Jill has completely recovered, her trouble seems to have been no more than a very bad tummy ache.

Kula Phu Chu
23rd September. Halt. A fine sunny day thank goodness. All or nearly all of the seeds were dried in the sun. We got very good Nomocharis souliei seed, and some enormous bulbs, the biggest I have ever seen. There was a good deal more snow again last night.

(N. souliei seeds 6518. I collected seeds 6517, P. bellidifolia 6515, Prim. calliantha flower 6524.)

SUMMARY:
Notes describe separating from Sherriff at Tsari, with the main camp at Lung in the Chayal Valley while Lumsden and the author travel via Bimbi La into the Tsangpo drainage toward Pachakshiri. Bird observations include Chinese Parakeets at Kyimdong Dzong and a Three-toed Woodpecker on the northern slopes of the Lo La, and plant collections are listed for Migyitun on June 10–11.

CONTENT:
Sketch. Lumsden Route

Ludlow Ibis 47. Tsari was a paradise for flowers but the ban on shooting was an insurmountable obstacle to ornithological work, so we decided to separate. Sherriff remained behind to work the Tsari valley. The main camp in the Chayal Valley at Lung, whilst Lumsden & I set out for Pachakshiri.
(NB. Separation on June 12th)
The crossing of the Bimbi La brought us for the first time within the drainage of the Tsangpo. At Kyimdong Dzong (June 15) we found the Chinese Parakeet (Psittacula derbyana) in large flocks in the barley fields. From here we crossed the Lang La (15,500) to Molo, where we turned south into the Pachakshiri district. Crossing the Himalayan range by the Lo La (13,300) on the northern slopes of the Lo La (June 27) we obtained a Three-toed Woodpecker (Picoides tridactylus funebris) in Silver-fir forest and is characteristic of the forests of SW. China.
Psittacula derbyana see Lud. Ibis 371.
Picoides tridactylus funebris see Lud. Ibis 369 Bimbi La

10th June Migyitun. Lonicera cyanocarpa var. porphyrantha 2101 Migyitun
Mag. globosa 2102. Clematis montana var. wilsonii 2103,
Streptopus simplex 2104. Iris chrysographes 2105
Prun. aspec. var. alba 2106. Sax. brunoniana 2107
Rh. micromeres 2108. Rho. trichocladum 2109 Bimbi La
Mec. betonicifolia 2110. Mec. panic. 2111 11th
P. macrophylla macrophylla 2112
Cawdoriana 2113
Sikkimensis form 2119
asperula 2120
Yargongensis 2122

SUMMARY:
The party trekked through spruce, oak, pine, and larch forest, passed below Chunyima, obtained butter and fresh milk from herdsmen with yaks, and noted several plants including Primula atrodentata and Lilium wardii. They reached Tongkyuk Dzong after 68 days, glimpsing the Po Yigrong Range and collecting limited seed of an unidentified Rhododendron, a Gaultheria, and an evergreen Berberis.

CONTENT:
hard indeed - so much so that the kukri we used to cut out plants was broken slightly, & sparks were actually made when striking the ground! This might possibly be P. bhutanica or Whitei. Like P. atrodentata the buds were covered with dense farina. We did not see Chunyima at all, but passed below it scarcely a few miles (2?) to an open space, on the other side of the river from which is a herdsman's hut where there are two men with 50 yaks. Up behind that is a very fine snow peak (Sangdam Pu?) where the valley looks very good for flowers. We got some very dirty butter from them at 9 sangs the piece, about 1 1/2 lbs. Also most excellent fresh milk as a gift. The milk was brought in a ladle made of Rhododendron wood, holding about 1/2 gallon. Our 4 coolies caught us up today joined us here, so did 7 extra pony loads which had come on "sadsi". The path all day is through fine spruce, holly oak & latterly a little pine larch. Rhododendron in places plentiful. For the first mile or two the valley is open: thence it is a gorge, but everywhere very pretty indeed. My one only pair of shoes have given out, & am reduced to gym shoes from now on. We saw a little Mec. betonicifolia at Lunang, but no more anywhere else. I also saw one Prim. chungensis. Prim. atrodentata is everywhere & is all ready for moisture & a little warmth, to put it into flower.

22nd Dec. Tongkyuk Dzong. Home at last, after 68 days. It is worth it though, from what we can see. The march today was through conifer & rhod. forest all the way, but the forest was too thick for us to get but a glimpse of the Po Yigrong Range N. of Tongkyuk. We left at 7.30 & got in at 1.30. The road is good most of the way. In the plant line the most interesting things on the march were Lilium Wardii, common on the steep bracken covered slopes in the picea & pinus forest. A Rhododendron of which we got a little seed is one I don't recognize. We also got a Gaultheria & an evergreen Berberis, but saw no...

CONTENT:
2219 Mec. betonicifolia. Yume Podzo Sumdo. 26/6/36.
2252 Ficariifolia lutea Scrophularia (like this) Sanga Choling Kyimpu. 29/6/36
2477 pallida Saxifraga. Chikchar. 23/8/36
2484 odontica Prim. Valentiniana. " - 24/8/36
2483 Gent. like G. phyllocalyx but smaller. " 23/8/36
2490 P. chionantha subsp. sikkimensis White Prim. sikkimensis - 27/8/36
2492 Morina nepalensis - 23/8/36
2497 Primula 1642 flava Podzo Sumdo 25/8/36
2498 Dicrv. pantlingii " 1654. - 25/8/36

1611. Fritillary. cirrhosa Yarap Chikchar. 18/5/36
      1613 Mec. simplicifolia Yarap 19/5/36
      2500 Gaultheria trichophylla ? like a heath. Podzo Sumdo. 25/8/36
      2501 ? Bears food. -
      2503 Rubus Raspberry. Migyitun 2