Showing 6828 results

SUMMARY:
Camped at Tobrang with persistent rain, the party continued collecting, including several 'badal rats', and birding near a marsh on the Pang La route. Notes mention primulas by the marsh, illness of Kurtip, Ramzana and companions remaining well, and a misdirected mail reportedly sent to Sahden after a message from Pinto. Leeches and dense jungle hindered hunting despite a spell of fine weather.

CONTENT:
81

about 100 lbs, a good test on a path like the Me La - Cho La one.

Tobrang
31st August Halt Tobrang. Bad day: rain from morning till night. Very wet work collecting.

1st September Halt Tobrang. Rain mist all day, but we did surprisingly well, getting three or four "badal rats". Saw a star in the evening which promises well for tomorrow!

2nd September Tobrang. Quite a good day. Rode up the Pang La route to a marshy flat, where there were any number of good birds about. Got nothing new, but several wanted birds. There are some primulas growing on the edge of the marsh, but they have no flowers or stalks—probably the common yellow one. Kurtip again down with fever, fairly badly. Ramzana & Co. all quite fit though.

3rd September Tobrang. Fine all day. It almost makes one hope the monsoon may be over. In spite of the good day though, we got a poor bag, losing several, & not managing to get a shot at others through the denseness of the jungle, or because of armies of leeches. A note came by devious ways from Pinto today. Some BF has sent our mail up to Sahden again. It

SUMMARY:
The party exchanged ceremonial scarves before departing over a good pass with many flowering shrubs, but refrained from collecting birds or butterflies due to the death of the Dzongpen of Thimbu. They marched to Tsalimape along the Bemem Chu toward Trashi Cho Dzong; despite requests not to visit or photograph during mourning, W. went to the Dzong, and collecting was deferred until reaching the next pass.

CONTENT:
34

ready to start off. We all in turn gave him scarves, and he did likewise to us. He held out his hands with a closed scarf in them, while we placed an open one over his forearms, and then took the one he offered. When this was over we left, and following the custom, we waved to each other and imitated wolf calls till we were out of sight. Road good the whole way, not too steep either side. Found a number of flowering shrubs on both sides of the pass. Unfortunately last night the Dzongpen of Thimbu (Trashi cho Dzong) died, so out of respect for the dead, we cannot collect either birds or butterflies yet. It is very sad, but we must agree to this. Bar. Ht. 8900'.

29th TO TSALIMAPE. 12 miles. 7700' (Bar. Ht. 8200'). An easy but hot march down the BEMEM CHU and up towards Trashi Cho Dzong. We were asked not to visit this Dzong, where the Thimbu Penlop died last night, but W. is off there now. He was asked not to take photos too, but again has taken his camera, having no thought for anyone but himself. Flies are perfectly beastly here, as the camp is in the village, the worst camp we have had so far. Butterflies are at last out, but we couldn't collect today. Tomorrow when we reach the pass we will start to collect again.

SUMMARY:
Records continued fine mornings following a Bhutanese 'St. Swithin's Day' weather rule. On 19th July the party traveled 8 miles to Trongsa in leech-ridden conditions, found a single campanula flower, and stayed in HH's summer house above the dzong; the Zimpon recounted his trip to Calcutta with HH and his heavy duties at Damthang arranging salaams and gifts for visitors to the Maharaja.

CONTENT:
back to Chendebi again. The Bhutanese St. Swithin's Day rule is holding good. We had awful rain for the last 10 days of the last Bhutanese month. But if the 30th was fine, we were to have 15 days fine, if wet, then bad weather for a month. It was not fine, but there was comparatively little rain and we had sun in the afternoon. Since then all mornings have been fine.

19th July. To Trongsa. 8 miles. Very heavy rain all last evening and night. Fine this morning, leeches very bad, got 5 or 6 on my feet and some on my hands which weren't seen till too late. Found only one flower of a nice campanula, but otherwise nothing of interest. Here we are staying in a very nice kind of summer house which HH uses, above the dzong. It is pleasantly cool and a breeze blows all day. The Zimpon seems a very nice man. I had met him before in Bumthang, where we had competed at archery. He was down in Calcutta with HH last year, and has been telling me all about his experiences there. His work was light, he got all the fun there was, and thoroughly enjoyed himself. But at Damthang on the way back, he had to work hard, as everyone who came to salaam the Maharaja had to do so through him, he had to give presents to them all. So that of the 8 or 9 maunds of things he had brought

SUMMARY:
The party reports delays due to missing loads and exhausted coolies while aiming for Nang Dzong. On 2nd April they march to TROMDA in rain and snow; Puitso catches up after spending the night on the road, and the route is noted for sandy paths, a spur crossing, and vegetation including pines, rhododendrons, and Primula species in side valleys.

CONTENT:
They are all of poor physique & some are lunatics: most seem to be diseased. We should have got to Nang Dzong in two days; now it will take at least three, but it was worse going on today, with 15 loads not yet arrived & the coolies very tired. The valley is rather drier here, we saw no pines on the hills after the first two miles, but they are covered with shrubs, not yet in flower, though showing green here & there.

2nd April. To TROMDA. 6 miles. 10800'
A clouded day, with rain & snow for an hour even in the valley, clearing up later. Puitso did not get off till after dark last night, & himself arrived at Rabdang just after we had left this morning. He spent the night on the road. We left at 6.45 & got in at 9.30 am. with the same coolies. There is a good deal of sand on the path, but it is not so much up & down, with the exception of one spur crossed at mile 2. No flowers on the way, but I saw a few heads of Primula pumilio here - a species just coming into flower. The hills again have pines on the north faces & also rhododendrons. On the way here one passes some small side valleys with water, & they all seem to have a primula growing in them. P. sikkimensis is there, but there is another also, which appears to be P. microdonta,

SUMMARY:
Entry describes a visit to Rome, including the Vatican where the Pope gave a blessing, followed by sightseeing at the Coliseum, Forum, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, and Piazza Navona.

CONTENT:
The image provided is a scan of a page from a notebook with very faint, ghosted handwriting that appears to be bleed-through from the other side of the paper. Due to the extremely low contrast and the nature of the ghosting, the text is largely illegible.

However, based on the visible fragments and common patterns in such documents, here is a transcription of the discernible text:

127. To Rome. A visit was made to the Vatican where we saw the Pope. He was a very old man and seemed very tired. He gave us his blessing and we left. We then went to the Coliseum which is a very large building. It was built by the Romans many years ago. It was used for games and other things. We then went to the Forum which is another large building. It was also built by the Romans. We then went to the Pantheon which is a very old temple. It was built by the Romans. We then went to the Trevi Fountain which is a very beautiful fountain. We threw some coins into the fountain and made a wish. We then went to the Spanish Steps which are very beautiful. We then went to the Piazza Navona which is a very large square. We then went to the Pantheon which is a very old temple. It was built by the Romans. We then went to the Trevi Fountain which is a very beautiful fountain. We threw some coins into the fountain and made a wish. We then went to the Spanish Steps which are very beautiful. We then went to the Piazza Navona which is a very large square. We then went to the Pantheon

SUMMARY:
The diarist describes severe weather around Pomo Tso, including hail, snow, and rain, and notes finding a small delphinium near the lake’s southeast corner. On 11th September, they outline routes from Tö Monastery toward Ling Dzong via Yo La or Ling La, with details of terrain, flocks, streams, and gradual ascents and descents.

CONTENT:
91

in the monastery, they remain there all winter. It is built
on a cliff on the edge of the Pomo Tso. 11. A perfectly foul
day: it rained a good deal during the night & was misty
& rainy up to the Pass. As we reached the Pomo Tso a
violent hail storm came on, which turned into snow
& rain later. Got in at 2.30 & found a yakherd's tent
pitched for the men & some wood & dung collected

B. 28. Evening scene on Pomo Tso to South
dry. No views all day, but we could just see
enough to know that normally the views should have
been wonderful. All the hills covered with snow. Found
a nice little delphinium in the river bed near the
SE corner of the Pomo Tso.

11th September. To LING DZONG. 14700' 10½ miles. From Tö Monastery
two routes lead to the North, one over the YO LA to
Shabring & the other over the LING LA direct to LING. The
former would be the more direct route to TALUNG. The

B. 28. The Tö Monastery & Pomo Tso from the North: a panorama of the Pomo Tso from West to East from
latter route leaves the monastery in an Easterly direction,
gradually bending northwards across grassland, climbing
very gradually to the LING LA (17000') at m 2½.
Descent on the north is equally gradual, at abt m 5
a river is met & followed down on the left bank.
The hills are grass covered & numerous large flocks
of sheep are grazed here. At m 6 a small stream
comes in from the West, at m 8½ the valley

SUMMARY:
Travel from Tyangsi to LAGNABI (Rocha Valley) with notes on an alternate route to Tawang, oak and Pinus longifolia forest, abundant Lilium giganteum, bird collecting success, and presence of snakes but few leeches. The next day they camp east of the Thibi La at 11,389 ft; Ludlow and the diarist set off early as mist forms from cumulus clouds.

CONTENT:
everything ready and comfortable.

9th Sept. To LAGNABI (ROCHA VALLEY) 4 miles 8047'. (BP 198° Temp 75°). This valley lies to the east of Tyangsi, and comes down pretty well due east. The path is fairly good and seems to be used often. This route is said to be a way to Tawang if the other one fails. Ascent is steady but easy. The jungle is mostly oak, with a number of Pinus longifolia mixed among them. Near camp there are a great number of L. giganteum, but seeds and bulbs are not yet ready. This is a good place for birds. In a few hours we managed to get 3 Pnoepygas, 1 Tesia, 1 Sylviparus, 1 new Yuhina and two Grammatoptila. There are no leeches, or so few as not to worry us at all. But there are some snakes, as I found this afternoon. Lilium giganteum is very common here: there are 30-40 in fruit close to camp.

10th Sept. CAMP east of the Thibi La 11389' 9 miles. (BP of Dib La 189.7° Temp 73° BP of camp 192.2° Temp 56°) Rather a remarkable day in many ways. Ludlow and I started off early (6:15) ahead of the coolies, to have an undisturbed forest to walk through. It was fine, with large cumulus clouds about, which gradually came down and formed mist over the whole

SUMMARY:
Travel to Kap and then Chayul Dzong, including difficulty lowering the Tibetan mastiff Tumshu down a stone ladder, with Pinto assisting. Notes children peeling rhododendron leaf indumentum to sell as Bané for lamp wicks and observes currants, irises, and early paraquilegia and rhododendrons; an outing up the nala SE of Kap with Tsongpen and Tendup found few flowers fully out.

CONTENT:
have found. He shows it below Lung on the way to the Chupung La, whereas it is above Dotrang on the way to the Kashong La.

4th May. To Kap. 7 miles. Fine. Some difficulty in getting the dog Tumshu—the Tibetan mastiff, a useless beast really (G.)—down the stone ladder today. He was eventually carried on one man's shoulders, while Pinto came down next, holding a rope round Tumshu's neck, to keep his head up, so that he could not bite the carrier. Currants in flower and pretty numerous. The irises here are lovely, every spare inch covered with them. We noticed the children yesterday pulling the thick indumentum off the underside of a rhododendron leaf. They do this when the leaf is more or less dry, then roll up the indumentum, which comes off in one piece, and sell it to the treasury. It is extensively used as a wick in an oil lamp, and goes by the name of Bané.

5th May. Chayul Dzong. 6 miles. Tsongpen, Tendup and I went up the nala SE of Kap, leaving at 5.0 am. I was disappointed to find flowers had hardly come on at all. Paraquilegia, however, is everywhere just on the point of flowering. One or two rhododendrons were just out, but nothing new. Camped

SUMMARY:
Notes describe a hot, steamy descent and climb with collecting of butterflies and birds, a wire to Tobgye, and arrival at Kalimpong where ponies met the party below Pedong and lunch was taken with Chuni. Later entries mention three days in Kalimpong before traveling via Calcutta, Sialkot, Wazirabad, and Kud to reach Srinagar, while Tobgye went to Darjeeling.

CONTENT:
instead of staying in Ari. A fine day from morning to evening. Collected some beautiful, though probably common butterflies and some birds. It is rather beastly being down so low again. This road is awful the way it goes up and down. We dropped 4000', climbed 2000' and again dropped nearly 2000'. Wired to Tobgye today we would reach Kalimpong tomorrow. Pretty hot and steamy all day -

17th October. TO KALIMPONG. 4200' 19 miles. A fine day, rather steamy. Uninteresting road and few birds seen. Met by Tobgye's ponies below Pedong and they were very pleasant to ride. Tobgye off to Darjeeling, but lunched with Chuni.

16th October. SRINAGAR. Stayed three days in Kalimpong, then left for Calcutta and Kashmir. Stayed one night at Sialkot to wait for Tobgye. Motored to meet him at Wazirabad and reached Kud that night, next morning Srinagar.

SUMMARY:
The writer describes a difficult return to camp after gear failures, arriving after dark to Ludlow’s camp in snow and thick mist, and notes splendid views around Gorpo La and the Tibetan plateau. On 16 August they traveled to Dongkar Dzong via the Sang La, collecting gentians and butterflies and viewing the Nyamjang Chu and nearby hills toward the Cho La.

CONTENT:
60

valley and 2000 ft down. When I started to return, first Ahmad Sheikh's pony's girth broke, then Culla was thrown, then the girth broke again. Finally we got to where Ludlow had decided to camp, after dark. The rain came on and turned to snow, and there was thick mist. So everything was pretty beastly. Dinner was equally beastly. It was a poor ending to a most perfect day. The mountain to the north of the Gorpo La is magnificent, covered with snow. The view E from the pass, over Tibetan plateau was equally magnificent. During the night there was an inch of snow. On the pass found a Corydalis like flower, pale lavender and a few saxifrages and cremanthodiums.

287 16th August. TO DONGKAR DZONG. 5 m. 13350'. Another
good day but patchy. Climbed up the R. bank to
Sang La Aug. 16. the SANG LA (17129') and rested there for an hour or
Gentiana algida 828. more. The sun came out, with it the gentians,
" " algida 829. parnassius and fritillary butterflies. Caught a
Donkhar number of them and got a few gentians. The view
Hedysarum sp. nov. 832 up the Nyamjang Chu was fine over typical
dry plateau. Dongkar is seen directly below to
the W. of the Sang La and the hills to the SW. near
the Cho La were occasionally seen. Lunched