Part 189 - Rocha Chu valley and Rocha: halt and descent, 21–22 September

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SUMMARY:
The party halted in the Rocha Chu valley, noting fine weather with an afternoon thunderstorm, few remaining Primulas, and Culla’s report from T'yangsi that transplanted flowers were doing well. On the 22nd they descended about 2,000 feet to around 9,000 ft near Rocha, encountering warm conditions, wet jungle on steep ridges, and birds including a tragopan, a bamboo partridge seen by Ludlow, and a likely new Spelaeornis.

CONTENT:
93

Dewangiri or somewhere on the route down.

Rocha Chu valley
Goodyera foliosa 969
" repens 971

21st Sept. Halted. A lovely day again, with bright clear morning and a thunderstorm and some rain in the afternoon and evening. We seem to have pretty well exhausted this zone. We can find nothing new now, Primulas are becoming very hard to find. Culla went down the other day to T'yangsi and reported that my flowers were doing well. I am afraid they will be doing too well and all coming up now instead of next year.

Rocha Chu valley
Goodyera vittata 975

Camp bit low rather precariously on a space between 2 ravines
22nd Sept. Rocha. 9000' 2 miles. Came down a couple of thousand feet to try a different zone. A lovely day again, with some clouds about in the morning. It is going to be decidedly hot when we get down to the main valley. Even here is very warm in the daytime. Rained fairly heavily in the night, and the jungle is again all wetted. Jungle is difficult here, as we are on a ridge with very steep sides. Heard a tragopan on the way here and Ludlow saw a bamboo partridge near camp. Only got one good bird, a Spelaeornis which is probably new, the first of which Ludlow got on our way up, quite near here. As there are no flowers left or we