Showing 6828 results

SUMMARY:
Notes a move from near Yonpu La to Khomanagri and then to Chungkar, with fine weather and good birding at camp. Reports misidentified P. eburnea seed as P. capitata and sends Kurtip back to Narim Thang to collect true material, and dispatches seeds and a flower box to the B.M. With Danong, revisits primula sites along the Diwangiri road.

CONTENT:
The Donga La is this (Dis) La. Boiling point in camp, about 50 feet below Yonpu La, is 196.9. Temp 52° = 8374'.

4th November. To KHOMANAGRI. 12 miles. 4500'. A longish march, but downhill most of the way. Bright sunny weather. This is one of the pleasantest camps we have ever had, and besides being pleasant, is in a good place for birds. Found a mail waiting for us. By this I heard that all the P. eburnea seed I took home last year turned out to be P. capitata. So Kurtip's stock is very low. I will send him off as quickly as possible back to Narim Thang to try to get the real thing this time.

5th Nov. Halt Khomanagri. Sent off a post with some seeds and Box 5 of flowers to the B.M. A perfect day, neither hot nor cold; three blankets needed at night. Got some interesting badal zats here.

6th Nov. CHUNGKAR. 8 miles. 6000'. Dull and cool day, pleasant march down to the valley and then a 4000 ft ascent.

7th Nov. Halt Chungkar. Rained in the morning, and cleared up to a most perfect day by 11.30. Danong and I went down the Diwangiri road to the cliff on which 552, 553, and 554 were found. It is a full 6 miles short of Chungkar. We climbed up the cliff and found signs of many primulas, both 552 and 554.

SUMMARY:
Diary notes describe travel from Kipup to Sedonchen and Rhenock with misty weather, high passes, and tiring stone paths. The party reunites with Pinto and Danong; notes mention bird collecting, scarce Bhutan lily bulbs, and bird boxes dispatched from Yatung with one possibly near Salimapo. A glimpse of Kanchenjunga and return to a leech-prone zone are recorded.

CONTENT:
105

garden. Fletcher has made an excellent garden, if one or two more BIA's like him came here, it would be really fine. Rather worried because no sign of Danong, but hear that he should be in today sometime. He was to have met us, should have arrived on 1st.

4th October. TO KIPUP. 13000' 17 miles. Rain in the morning, cleared up later. Some mist on the Jelap La (14500) then clear again in the evening. No birds of any interest seen. Pinto & Danong came in yesterday evening, so we are once again all together. (also for young plants of Magnolia Globosa) Danong got few seeds & hardly any bulbs of the Bhutan lily. We did a good day's work yesterday & incidentally found that nearly all our boxes of birds were sent off from Yatung, one perhaps two being missing still. Of these Pinto has news of one in the jungle near Salimapo.

5th October. TO SEDONCHEN. 13 miles. 6400'. Misty day, but fine. (glimpse of Kanchenjunga in early morning) The march is pretty beastly, the path first going up to 13500', then level for some miles before zig zagging steeply down to here. And the path is made of round stones placed close together, very tiring for walking. The jungle seemed very quiet & devoid of bird life till we were nearly in. Back again in the leech zone. (B.35. A lama with his prayer wheel.)

6th October. TO RHENOCK. 3200' 17 miles. Decided to come on here

SUMMARY:
The diary records a hard ascent over the Kongbo Nga La to Nye with notes on rhododendrons, larch, birch, juniper, and sightings including crossoptilon, large black woodpeckers, a Camberwell Beauty, and a blood pheasant, alongside seed collecting and march times. The following day describes an easier, mostly level route to Kyimdong Dzong via Shu and the Kyimdong Chu, noting Berberis near Kyimdong and a meeting with the local dzongpen, while sending two men to check whether the Lang La is open.

CONTENT:
5th April. NYE. 11 miles. Fine morning, clouded afternoon: some snow on the hill tops. A hard day but quite interesting. Path leads up the Lapu Chu left bank for 2 miles, then up the right bank to mile 3 1/2. So far the ascent is easy but path not very good. Thence the ascent is very direct and steep to the Kongbo Nga La, 14470', mile 6. Descent is equally steep. On either side of the pass, about 1 1/2 miles from it is a house. A small nala is reached, and followed for a short way, then the path climbs up the spur on the right bank and drops down to Nye, where there is a good deal of cultivation, and several houses. On the west side of the pass are many rhododendrons, some larches and large areas of birch beside scrub of all kinds. In this I flushed a dozen crossoptilon and saw 5 or 6 very large black woodpeckers of a kind not in the F.B.I. They are about the size of a chough, absolutely black, with the exception of the male having a bright chestnut band across his forehead. I could not shoot any. Besides getting some seeds, I got two butterflies, which for a few moments were fairly common. One was a Camberwell Beauty. On the east side I flushed two "kuling", and later on shot a blood pheasant, most beautifully coloured, and in excellent plumage. Two primulas were in bloom, pink. Pine trees are common and away to the south we could see firs as well. On the east there are many more junipers than on the west. A trying march: left at 6:40, in at 3:30 and some of the kit not in till 6:00 pm or later.

6th April. KYIMDONG DZONG. 14 miles. c 11000'. Fine morning, clouded afternoon, some rain and snow on the hills. An uninteresting march. The path is easy on the whole level. First through cultivation for a mile, then at mile 2 pass a small village. From here on there are no villages till Shu is reached at mile 12. There is a lot of sand and gravel which continues till the Tsangpo is left at mile 9 1/2 where the path climbs steeply up a cliff on the right bank. From here it descends gradually to Shu village, where a side valley is crossed. The Kyimdong Chu is followed first on the left bank then on the right, up to Kyimdong Dzong, situated where the valley from the Lang La meets that from the Pa and Bimbi Las. Nothing of any interest seen today, except Berberis which is just out close to Kyimdong. The dzongpen, a lama, is a young man and seems nice. He does not know whether the Lang La is open or not, but we are sending two men

SUMMARY:
The diary describes marches along the Trashiyangshi river to Tobrang and then to Lao, noting distances, elevations, path conditions, and river crossings. It remarks on local people’s appearance and distinctive felt hats, hot clear weather, abundant water, absence of leeches, and cows waiting at camp.

CONTENT:
at all like the Western Bhutanese, being not so finely made, more Tibetan in appearance. Some wear a novel form of hat made of thick felt fitting close to the skull, having four or five narrow points four inches long down which the rain will drip - an excellent plan.

(2) 1st August. TO TOBRANG. 7700' 5 miles. Route continues up R bank of Trashiyangshi river, passing a bamboo bridge at m 1. Till m 3, the path is easy, & does not climb much. From m 3 to 5 the climb is considerable, but the path never difficult. Scattered houses & cultivation are passed often on the march. The main valley is here much narrower & the sides steep. Water of course ample: no leeches!! These two marches could really be made into one: today's was almost too short. Again a beautiful day, very hot, & a beautifully situated camp high up above the river. We found cows again waiting here for us.

(3) 2nd August LAO. 6 miles. 9500' Track drops steeply to gorge & up other side immediately on leaving camp. Thence fairly level to m 1 1/2 where a very large valley enters on the left bank from the East. (Barigang Chu.) Path is then very bad indeed, keeping up the Right bank, & for the next two miles is in a gorge & lies in dense jungle. The main Kulong Chu is here only 10' across & is in a series of falls the whole way. At m 3 1/2 a fair sized river runs in from the West, & this is crossed

SUMMARY:
Notes that Marfa consists of two or three scattered groups of houses. Records witnessing a magnificent, exceptionally bright double rainbow in the evening.

CONTENT:
L. p. 169. Marfa consists of 2 or 3 scattered groups of houses.
There was a magnificent double rainbow in the
evening - the brightest I have ever seen.

SUMMARY:
The diarist rides a yak to Marlung and conducts plant collecting despite mist, rain, and poor visibility, noting abundant primulas and other flowers near yakherds' huts. A flower box arrives from Bumthang, thought to be Ludlow's, raising concerns about other boxes and presents coming from Kpong, while a future visit tied to Hicks' return is mentioned.

CONTENT:
as that would be a change and would give much trouble. The snag is that from there to come up here one would again have to pass through Bumthang, and we don't want any more of that, when already we must pay a last visit on Hicks' return about 1 Oct.

5th July MARLUNG. 6 miles. 13500' Pretty fine day, but no views. I rode up here on a yak today in real comfort. But we are not nearly high enough here, and should really be in the highest yakherds' huts. The cliffs here are again covered with P. umbratilis, but there seems precious little otherwise.

6th July Halt. A foul day of rain, wind and mist. We went about 4 miles up the valley, then turned south up a side valley, the one I eventually hope to leave by. But we were so lost in thick mist, that we could see only 10-20 yards, and didn't know if there were cliffs above, or open country or what. That doesn't make plant collecting any easier. One can only take a chance of finding things, without looking where they should be. In spite of that we got quite a number of flowers, though nothing very thrilling. The yakherds' huts up there are very beautiful—at least round about them is beautiful—a mass of white and yellow P. sikkimensis (orthopiana) in a sea of yellow potentillas and calthas, and asters and red pedicularis. When I got back I found a flower box had been sent up here from Bumthang, with no letter and message. The boy only said that he had been told it had come from Bumthang. It must be Ludlow's, and makes one wonder what is happening to other boxes that were left there. And it also makes one wonder what will happen to the boxes of bows and arrows and other presents which are coming from Kpong to be left in Bumthang. I hope they don't come on here!

SUMMARY:
Notes the arrangement of numbered plant specimens in bottom, middle, and top layers, with plans to add several Primula species. Describes a shift from mist to thunder and heavy rain, followed by a clear day on 26 September at Marlung, colder than Waitang, with yaks, dzopas, and mention of a local boy who had previously broken his arm.

CONTENT:
Each plant is labelled with a tin label which has been oiled, they are packed in this order.
No. 1

Bottom layer
19750 19757 19750
19766 19235 19712
Maus back here

Middle layer
19771 19768A 19764 19226
19167 19768C 19767
19330 19768B 19309 19146
Maus back here

Top layer
19123 19804 19404 19777
19366
19716 19420 19373 19722
Maus back

The top story is as yet empty, but in it will go P. tsariensis, P. soldanelloides, a cushion androsace (globifera?) - more P. Waddellii. That is probably all the Marlung, when we should have a few P. tsariensis white ordinary, P. uniflora, P. umbratilis white. Today really felt like the end of the rain, although there was much mist early on. The day has been lovely and clear, with big cumulus clouds gradually collecting. Now at 3.0 pm there is thunder and torrential rain, the first thunder we've had, and I expect a sparkling day tomorrow.

26th September. Marlung. Today dawned beautifully clear, and was the first day we had had like it with no mist, even on the hill tops. It was quite interesting to see all the hill tops, because even in the fine days we have occasionally had, there has always been mist on the tops. However a fine veil of high cloud quickly came over the sky, and by 11.0 there was no sun. It seems much colder up here than Waitang. There are a few yaks here now and some dzopas: with the latter is the small boy who broke his arm just before I left here in July. I am very glad to

SUMMARY:
Notes a plan for Tsongpen Tenduk to visit the Pelada camp to collect items including primula seed, mentions a north-trending valley with seasonal yak herders’ huts, and describes rainy halts at Marulhang on the Rinchen Chu with exploratory walks over passes. Observations include Primula alpicola (luna), Meconopsis bella, and other alpine species, though little new was found.

CONTENT:
Geranium
large flowered geranium 3356, of which we only saw two specimens.
Tsongpen Tenduk will go over to our camp on Pelada of 6th-10th June tomorrow & pick up a few things there, including, I hope, seed of the new primula.
The valley goes away north for a good long way apparently, & I intend to follow it up for a day or two. No houses here, but a few huts, occupied for a short time later, by the yak herdsmen. No others are allowed here except for a very few days while passing to other grazing ground.

3rd July. Halt. Marulhang, Rinchen Chu. Rained all day. Purbo & I went up a side valley to the East, over a pass & into another N-S valley beyond. Then north & over another pass, back by a side valley coming down 1/2 m above camp. We saw a good deal of the primula 3353 (P. alpicola luna), & a good deal of Meconopsis bella 3361 (entire leaf form), but little else of interest which was new. Anemone rupicola 3358, P. sapphirina, pusilla & Hopeana are everywhere at the right height. A pretty beastly day.

4th July. Halt. Marulhang, Rinchen Chu. Rained very hard all day & all last night. Purbo & I went upstream & worked in some side valleys, but not high, and found nothing but a primula of the Sikkimensis section No 3370 (P. alpicola luna). It appears to be somewhat like P. 3353, in leaf shape, but it has nothing of farina; the corolla is rather smaller and not such a green-

SUMMARY:
A young couple, Mary and John, fall in love despite differences in family status and opposition from Mary's proud father, who sends her away to school for two years. They reunite, gain his consent to marry, and live a long and happy life.

CONTENT:
seven miles from home. It was then that they learned to
love each other and as they were from different towns and
had lived in different states it was out of nature that
it should be. Her name was Mary and his was John.
They were both young and in their teens. Mary was
the daughter of a wealthy farmer and John was the
son of a poor widow. Mary's father was a very
proud man and he did not like for his daughter to
associate with a poor boy like John. He told her that
she must not see him anymore. It made Mary very
sad and she cried and cried. She told her father that
she loved him and she would not give him up for
all the money in the world. Her father told her that
if she did not give him up he would send her
away to school. Mary said she would go to school
but she would not give him up. Her father sent
her away to school and she was gone for two
years. When she came home she was a beautiful
young lady and John was a handsome young man.
They met and their love was just as strong as
it was when they were children. Mary's father
saw that he could not keep them apart so he
gave his consent for them to marry. They were
married and lived a long and happy life.