Showing 5 results

SUMMARY:
The party experienced delays as coolies failed to arrive, while Ludlow and the diarist collected a few flowers of Rhododendron edgeworthii. On 10th May they moved to the west side of Kargong La amid rain, sent Tsompen to Lalung to trace missing loads, and eventually received the loads at a filthy, wet camp with no special flowers noted.

CONTENT:
day. Coolies rolled up when they felt inclined, & in spite of the presence of three gyimpus, they were not all at our camp by the time we left, with the majority at 8.30. It is well we stopped so soon, as the remainder have not yet turned up at 5.0pm. Ludlow & I went on up the path & found R. edgeworthii 3709 (originally Rhod. buluatum?), now collected under 3720 in full flower on many trees. But it is difficult to reach, & could only secure three flowers. We want to go slow, but hardly as slow as this. Perhaps once started, the coolies will improve. Some leeches, all kinds of flies are bad. No coolies in by night.

10th May. Camp to W side of Kargong La, 2 1/2 miles. B.P. 19.61 Temp. 60° Time 3.0pm. Ht. approx. 9015'. Rained all night, fine from 6.0 am till evening with small showers. We hung on waiting for coolies to arrive, & sent Tsompen down to Lalung to find out what had happened. He brought back two loads & found a man who had run away. At 12 noon we started off, still two loads short. But they all came on and got into a filthy camp about 4.0pm, when it was raining pretty hard. No special flowers,

SUMMARY:
Diary notes describe severe midges and rain while collecting Primula cortusoides and rhododendrons off the Nyug La ridge, followed by a weather-hampered attempt along the ridge. The party returns to Lalung where Tsongpen shoots a tragopan near camp and the diarist has a good day of bird shooting as weather improves; plant notes include R. edgeworthii, Pinus wallichiana, Cypripedium hookerae, and Monotropa uniflora.

CONTENT:
P. laciniata 3649
Here, off the ridge, Primula cortusoides No. 3649, is in masses and very pretty. Otherwise the only thing we got was a very fine Rhododendron 3708 (Rh. rude 3707), which is the same as that found in bud on the Nyug La (= 3670). Otherwise there was nothing, and the only bird I wanted to shoot was an Ixulus - beside the tragopan. The midges at these two camps have been too awful for words. They simply swarm in dense clouds everywhere, and it is impossible to stand still for a minute. I have a smoke fire in my tent, which is infinitely preferable to the midges. Gulla and Tsongpen are with me - Gulla as cook, he is perfectly good. Tsongpen and I will try our luck as far as we can go tomorrow. I'm afraid a new primula on my birthday is hardly likely. (Sherriff's birthday)

3rd May. Same camp. Rained all night, and has rained hard all day today without a stop. A perfectly filthy day. Tsongpen and I, with two men, cut our way up as far as we could go along the ridge. There cliffs blocked our way, and we could not go either side. So, soaked through and freezing cold, we returned to camp. I am very glad that the coolies agree, or say they do, to go back in one day. It seemed easily possible, none of us have any desire for any more of this ridge. At the highest point reached, we found some rhododendrons in flower, but only those seen before. There was no sign of any primulas, or of anything else for that matter. Heavy rain and dense forest is too much to compete with, either for birds or flowers. So I am just sitting in camp, hoping for the day to pass quickly, which of course it won't do. This camp is just mud now, and everything we have is wet and filthy. I think Gulla will be happiest when he gets back tomorrow. When used to driving cars, this is a change in the wrong direction.

4th May. Camp Lalung. 5 miles. Rained in morning, some sun at Lalung at midday, rained in evening. It only took the coolies 5 1/2 hours to return here, instead of the 12 going. Just as we were ready to leave camp, we heard tragopan calling, and one came close to camp (Tragopan in perfect plumage). Tsongpen went after it and got it in a rhododendron. I saw two more, but could not get a shot with the rifle. All were within 50 yards of camp. I got a few other birds too on the way down. Ludlow had had a bad day of rain yesterday too, and was pretty fed up with getting few birds. We were all glad to get back to a decent dry level camp again.

5th May. Halt Lalung. Fine and sunny the whole day. Looks as if we were in for a spell of fine weather - a rash thing to prophesy here. I went out on a ridge 500 ft above camp and had some good shooting. Every morning about 7.30, spine-tailed swifts arrive, and then spend the day feeding in this valley, going home wherever that is, in the evening. They are said to fly at 200 mph, and they are a...

R. edgeworthii 3709, 3720 Pinus wallichiana 3711
Cypripedium hookerae 3708, Monotropa uniflora 3710

SUMMARY:
At Lung the diarist halted, collected several ripe rhododendron seeds (including R. lindleyi, R. edgeworthii, R. kendrickii, R. sherruffii, R. fulvum, and R. arizelum), and noted ticks, frost, bamboo and pines, and a river running north then east in a narrow, steep valley, with no signs of tragopan. They went further up the hill and spoke with the Trün gyimpu.

CONTENT:
185

R. lindleyi 2744 seed
bush, with ripe capsules. As the capsules are so much longer I have collected it under a new number 2744 - seeds are perfectly ripe. A few other odd things also collected, including one rhododendron, which we did not see in flower in July, with very thick tomentum, & capsules covered with the same tomentum (2745).
R. edgeworthii 2745 seed

R. kendrickii common. 2748 seed
Ticks pretty bad, as there is a good deal of bamboo on the path. The trees are mostly rhododendron, bamboo, deciduous of various kinds & a good many pines. The river flows nearly North for a bit then turns E again; the path is always steep & the valley is very narrow & steep sided. The left bank of the river is mostly covered with pines down below.

Lung
23rd October. Halt. Fine down here all day, with some snow on the hills for an hour or two. Went up the hill again, further than I had been before, but saw no sign or marks of tragopan.

R. sherruffii seeds 2751
R. fulvum seeds 2752 R. arizelum seeds 2753
R. fulvum seeds 2754
Rhododendrons disappointing, but I got two which are ripe, & have taken a few more which may come to something. Ticks again pretty bad. There has been quite a hard frost down here the last two mornings, especially this morning.

Lung
24th October. Halt. Some rain last night & this morning. Mostly fine but clouded over. Talking to the Trün gyimpu today, he

SUMMARY:
The diary describes following the Mara Chu, crossing small side streams and ridges, and reaching a camp at mile 8. It notes the village of Adao, whose inhabitants move to Phobjikha during the rains and occasionally return to tend crops, with some fever present. Observations include abundant R. Maddenii/R. Edgeworthii and a fine forest of Pinus longifolia opposite Adao.

CONTENT:
absolutely solidly the rest of the evening - real Bhutan rain at its very
best. The path follows what is here known as the Mara Chu, the
whole way down. It is good most of the way, sometimes sunken.
At m 3 a big side valley from the R is crossed, then the path
ascends easily to m 4 1/2 the highest point reached. Up till here there
is some cultivation. Then an easy, though steep in places, descent
to near the main river again to 6 level to 6 1/2 where another
sidestream is crossed. Both are small. The main valley is here
narrow and steep sided, the path ascends to a ridge, crossed at
m 7. Thence descent begins easily at first to m 8 camp.
The Mara Chu here must fall very rapidly indeed, and both sides
of the valley are very steep and precipitous. About 1 m further
on a valley enters from the Right on the L bank of the
Mara Chu, above m 11 is ADAO a biggish village with
lots of cultivation. The inhabitants of Adao all leave their
village at this time and go to Phobjikha, just returning every now
and then to look after their crops. There is some fever in Adao during
the rains. / Here R. Maddenii or R. Edgeworthii are very common
indeed. Opposite Adao I see forest of Pinus longifolia, and it looks
a very fine forest indeed, bigger than any I have yet seen,

SUMMARY:
The party delayed departure to meet HH, discussing a Treaty, M.K., and reports from Tobgye that the Sikkim Maharani had stirred Nepalis of Sikkim to oppose the Maharaja; they later dined and played games with HH and two Maharanis. They set off around 10:00 on a short, steep march behind Kunga Rapden, noting cultivation, forest edge and grassland, and several rhododendrons including R. arboreum, R. grande, and epiphytes such as R. edgeworthii and R. rhabdotum.

CONTENT:
9th April. Zangrapang. 5 miles. BP. 195.9° T. 61° 5.0pm. Ht. app. 9150'

This was a very short march, but we felt we could not leave HH until a time more suitable to royalty than our usual 6.0 am. So I said we would go when he was ready, that was 9.30. We had had a long & pleasant session with HH & on 8th. He came up again at 3.0pm & we had dinner at 7.0 & he left at 8.0. I talked to him again about the Treaty, & more about M.K. & the danger of getting mixed up with the intriguing of the Sikkim Maharani. He was aware of the danger there, more so because he had just heard from Tobgye that the Sikkim Maharani had induced the Nepalis of Sikkim & some others to go to the Palace to say they did not want the Maharaja, but wanted Indian Raj. This naturally made HH think very much. We later on had games with the two Maharanis & HH, & the greatest success was animal snaps, which so amused HH that we had to stop for fear he would do himself some harm through over laughing.

Today HH came up again to say goodbye, at 9.30, & we were off at 10.0. He was the same pleasant friendly & thoughtful man as always, & had thought out everything for us & our comfort on the road. The road was pretty steep, straight up behind Kunga Rapden, to the east. There is now a good deal of cultivation for about 2000' up, then the path goes along the edge of the forest, to a large area of grass. Round about here there were a number of rhodos. Rhod. arboreum is common, as is R. grande (18660) & some epiphytes like R. Edgeworthii, & rhabdotum,