SUMMARY:
Observations include mass flowering of Primula whitei around 14,000 ft and a pale yellow Sikkimensis-type primula likely from hybridisation. On 10 June the party halted, marked several Primula populations, recorded Primula vernicosa as a notable westward occurrence, kept busy drying specimens, and planned to return to Phobjikha via the Pele La Range towards Chendebi while collecting a few Rhododendron variants.

CONTENT:
P. flagellaris 3231.
Lloydia serotina 3232 Cypripedium tibeticum 3233

It has up to 4 flowers on a scape of 3" on pedicels of 3/4". At about 14000 or a little over P. whitei was in flower in masses still, & the flowers were on the whole bigger than low altitude, early ones. Among a mass of P. Hopeana 3227, I saw a few plants of a Sikkimensis primula coloured pale yellow, tinged with pink 3228. This presumably is the result of hybridisation. We have so far seen no P. sikkimensis, nor of P. Waltoni.

10th June. Halt. - Rained most of the night, but fine & overcast nearly all today. I have marked with 12 stakes the new little petiolaris primula 3192, & today marked the var. of P. Griffithii 3205 & P. umbratilis 3213. We came across P. vernicosa today, No 3240.

As far as I know this has never been recorded from nearly so far west as this; in fact I don't think it is recorded as occurring outside SE Tibet. It is no beauty, but interesting. We all took it easy today after a climb to the top of the ridge. We got back by 11.30 & stayed in camp. Tsongpen has little rest though, as flowers will not dry in this humid atmosphere, & he has about 200 still being changed. A few variations in Rhododendron completed the bag. We now move on back to Phobjikha, but will go a new route over the Pele La Range towards Chendebi.

Rhod. fulgens 3239. R. campanulatum 3243, R. campan. var. aeruginosum 3244

SUMMARY:
Notes describe a caravan of lamas stopping at a minimal shelter, continued snowfall around the bungalow, and attempts to find and identify very large snipe, with few flowers due to lack of sun. On 10th May at CHANGU TSOMGO there was a fine morning after fresh snow, a further search for the snipe yielded little, and bird activity seemed to have moved lower.

CONTENT:
wonderful traveller in the mountains. The whole caravan is stopping tonight at a shelter 2 miles beyond here. They will have a miserable time, as the place is nothing but a shelter. It is ten years since the Tashi Lama left Tibet, since then he has been in Mongolia & Nanking. It seems generally to be thought that it will be a very good thing if he does return. The two lamas were dressed in new yellow clothes & looked very fine on their decorated mules. I went out again this afternoon up the hill behind the bungalow, & there was very surprised to see two of the biggest snipe I have ever seen. I shot both but only picked up one. We are not certain if it is a wood snipe or solitary. They must have a nest, but the snow was so heavy over that I had to return without finding it. It continues to snow this evening. Had we only had a few days sun, I believe there would have been many more flowers coming out: as it is we have only one specimen.

10th May. CHANGU TSOMGO. A fine morning for a change. Breakfast 5.30. Climbed the hill behind the bungalow to look for yesterday's snipe, but found neither it nor its nest. There had been about 6" fresh snow last night covering most tracks. Back at 11.30, only one bird between us. The fresh snow must have driven them down a bit. Hear there

B. 3 contd.
Ramzana
climbing through
fresh snow
behind bungalow

SUMMARY:
Notes rhododendrons and primulas in flower, sends a messenger with mail to Tsona, and interacts with the head lama while noting the death and prospective reincarnation of Drukpa Rinpoche; photographs the monastery and Rinpoche’s daughter. On 14 May travels to Zimsäthí via the nala east of Sanga'Choling, noting route details toward the Takar La.

CONTENT:
Rhododendron primulaeflorum var. cephalanthoides. 1583

Right bank, I could see Rhododendrons in full flower, and North face slopes are well wooded with fir. A primula is in flower on the river banks (1593).

13th May. Hall. Fine. A day of pretty hectic rush. As no mail had arrived here, we appointed a man to take one to Tsona for us, and hope he will bring one back. Packed up flowers and birds all day and received the head lama present. Drukpa Rinpoche is dead, and died 7 years ago. His incarnation is thought to have been found in Kham, but it is not yet known. He apparently, though so holy, was married, and has a grown daughter here, one of the prettiest Tibetan women I have seen. She hung about all day, and at last I found it was to have a photo taken, which I did, and promised to let her have one later. The monastery is very picturesque indeed in the evening light, and I took a photo this evening of it.

14th May. To Zimsäthí. 10m. BP 18.700 Temp 51° Time 2.30pm Alt. 14,135'
Road leaves up the nala just East of Sanga'Choling. It is good but pretty steep, past cultivation of kyu and on, becoming less steep. The road to the Takar La goes

SUMMARY:
The diarist describes very tall pines and junipers, birches and oaks, and notes the striking jade-green colour of the Po Tsangpo river. On 14th Jan. near Sangyü, Ludlow and Henry took the pony path while the diarist and B. followed the riverside through dense wet forest with massive junipers, passing Rhododendron trees near Chahzam and old cultivated flats with ruins said to have been destroyed by the Chinese in '12.

CONTENT:
Cupressus torulosa 12141
Cedrela 12142

43

flower line. The only interest is in the trees, which grow to enormous heights. Some of the pines - (P. tabulaeformis) must be nearly 200 feet. And near here there are really magnificent junipers which are certainly 200 feet and straight as a rod. Camp here very poor, beside the 'spring'. Birches also are fine on this march, and there are many oaks. The colour of the Po Tsangpo river is very fine indeed, copper sulphate (pale 'deep jade green') exactly. Both rivers are the same now. Left at 8.30. In at 2.30.

14th Jan. SANGYÜ. Left at 9.0 : in at 2.0. Ludlow and Henry went the pony path, a climb of 1000 feet. B. and I kept to the river side. Both tracks are not easy. Both were curiously uninteresting botanically and ornithologically. At first the forest was mostly dense wet forest, with magnificent specimens of Juniper, measuring up to 20 feet in circumference. We passed, about 1 mile from Chahzam, about a dozen Rhododendron trees, the same as seen on the Pan above Trulung. I heard today Monal for the first time. Here there is a large flat area, old cultivation, with old ruined houses, destroyed by the Chinese in '12. There is a hut and

SUMMARY:
The writer treats a yakherd's child who broke his arm after falling from a sheep, applying a splint and dressing blisters. On 15 July they halt in thick mist and rain; Pasang and Gyundon also stay, men arrive from Pangstang with mules, there is no letter from Betty, and Ngudup cannot obtain information on the route. On 16 July they march to Namdating in persistent mist and rain via the Kyikyi Tsom La, descending between lakes at the head of the Chachuka valley towards the Tsangpo valley.

CONTENT:
to the Drolma Shöki La. It is much colder now than a month ago, and they will be pretty chilly when they come in. A woman came down from the yakherds upstream, with her child aged about 6. The poor kid had been riding a sheep (!) and had fallen off and broken his arm - about 3 days ago. It had been tied up with some moss, very tightly, which made things worse by strangling the arm and causing large blisters. I don't know what they had put on. I doubt if I did much good, but I put a splint on and dressed the blisters.

15th July. Halt. Thick mist and rain. Stayed in camp again, so did Pasang and Gyundon. We are all tired of this place, and will be glad to move tomorrow morning over the pass leading to the Tsangpo valley. Several men have come up from Pangstang, with I think the Druk Locha's mules, to graze above here. I hoped anyone coming up now might have brought a letter from Betty, but there is none. All coolies have turned up this evening. I still can't get any information about where we are going to. Someone must know, but Ngudup either won't or can't extract any useful information - the same difficulty as one always has on first going to a place.

16th July. Namdating. From 5:45 to 1:30 pm. Mist all day, rain on top. This was a queer march, and I'm not quite sure yet where we are. First we went up the valley opposite camp; over the side to the south to the next valley, down into that and steep up again to the Kyikyi Tsom La. The first pass would be about 15,000' and the Kyikyi Tsom La about 15,500. Then down rock scree and grass hillside to between two fine lakes at the head of what I had previously seen was the Chachuka valley. This is the one I went up on 1st July; the lower lake was the one I just

SUMMARY:
The diarist travels from Changphu to Chumkarah and on to Pinshogong and Hach, crossing the Bhutan–Tibet boundary near Jangphu, aided by mules from the Trashigang Dzongpon. They collect more Albizzia sherriffii seeds, note fruit sent by the Dzongpon, observe otters, visit a new Dzong, and receive a warm welcome from Dzongpon Dopola while mail arrangements via Basu Pradhan remain unresolved. Weather is noted as improving after rain, with hot conditions in the valley.

CONTENT:
To Changphu
16th November, JAMGPHU. Rain yesterday evening and last night. Fine and bright today. Changed transport twice, but everything ready for us. It is a long climb up from the bridge to Jangphu, the last 2 miles being more or less level. Three mules were sent to meet us, but only for the level stretch, so we all had a good sweat. Hills much drier here, being barer and more cultivated. The boundary of Bhutan with Tibet is crossed 300 yards W of Jangphu — a small very insignificant little valley. Oranges I'm glad to say are ripe, or near enough so to be eaten, and are very good after a climb like today's.

To Chumkarah
17th November, Chumkarah. Clouded and a little rain at night: fine all day. We are getting almost too civilized now. People turn out to meet us, tea is produced by the roadside, and camping grounds are prepared. I would rather just be allowed to wander along. However it is nice to have the Trashigang Dzongpon's mules here to help us on our way. I have hardly ridden at all since we left Kalimpong in Feb. — only on 3 or 4 days for a short while. But here it is hot, and a mule will be very nice to have. Changed transport once again today.

I could not find the original tree of Albizzia Sherriffii, although I recognized the place, but took more seeds again today, so surely should have it by now. The Dzongpon sent some pears, bananas and oranges, which are just what the doctor ordered for this hot valley. I hear that there is still no mail in Trashigang, so again our arrangements have gone wrong, though why I cannot think. I wrote to PM Kumarikata Basu Pradhan in August, and Tobgye has forwarded our letters to the latter.

To Trashigong Dzong
18th November, Pinshogong. Fine and very hot. On the way, I spotted three otters having a great time in the river, always keeping together, and hunting for a few minutes, then joining up on to the hot sandy beach and rolling and playing about. Owing to a cliff I could not get very close, but took a tele-cine picture of them. Went and saw the new Dzong, which is a fine building and seems well designed. Then came on here about 3.0 pm, for a very warm welcome from the Dzongpon Dopola. Rained pretty hard at night.

19th November, Hach. Fine all day. Stayed in camp, and talked to the Dzongpon. He says the same

SUMMARY:
Notes quote Ludlow’s plan to work the Tawang Chu and Nyam Jang Chu basins in Tibet and revisit the Trashi Yangsi Valley. Permission was granted by the Maharaja and late-May sanction came from the Tibetan Government, prompting a rapid approach via the Dewangiri–Tawang Trade Route through the eastern Duars. The itinerary records travel from Srinagar to Dewangiri and onward to Trashigong in late June 1934.

CONTENT:
10

Ludlow: "our plans are to work the basins of the Tawang Chu & Nyam Jang Chu in Tibet & then revisit our old haunts in the Trashi Yangsi Valley." P. 8

Ludlow. Ser. 13
In our 1933 journey East Bhutan had attracted us greatly. Botanically & ornithologically it seemed to offer a favourable field for further investigation. In 1934 ...
Permission to return to Bhutan was readily given by His Highness the Maharaja but it was not until late May that we received sanction from the Tibetan Government to cross the province of Mönyul.

Season being well advanced it was imperative to reach our collecting grounds without delay. The quickest road thither was by the Dewangiri - Tawang Trade Route & this we decided to take although we knew we were running considerable risks in attempting to penetrate the fever belt of the eastern Duars at this season of the year.

Lud. Ser. 14
Journey from Srinagar on 13 June to Dewangiri reached 22 June.
Dewangiri to Trashigong - reached 29 June.

SUMMARY:
A halt day with damp conditions; the diarist photographed and tended drying flowers, and noted Tibetans trading salt, wool, and cloth at Pangstang with rice sent to Towa Dzong. On 20th June they crossed the river to inspect west-side cliffs, where few plants were in flower; Pasang collected P. muscoides, and P. strumosa was confirmed with notes on its hybridization with P. calderiana.

CONTENT:
about 5 feet across, stopped 50 yards above camp. So back we went to bed. The boys were out across the river down below, but had a poor day, got nothing. I did some photographs in the morning, changed flowers and that is about all today. Flowers take much longer now to dry. The atmosphere is always damp, and our fire is not so good in the tent as in the huts we've been used to. I'm told now that many Tibetans will be coming down in the next few days, with salt, wool and woollen cloth. They exchange at Pangstang for madder mostly, and some rice. But more of the rice is H.H.'s and Her H.'s and other officials, all is sent to Tibet for sale in Towa Dzong and other places.

20th June Halt. It was misty and doubtful when we got up at 5:30 this morning, but there was a clear patch of blue sky to the south, which I was sure would mean a good day. But we didn't go straight for the pass. I wanted to investigate the cliffs on the West side as soon as we could cross the river which we did about 9:00 a.m. But there was very little indeed in flower. Mec. horridula had not opened its buds at all. P. bellidifolia was common, and Pasang got P. muscoides (19303) to add to the list. I had seen a yellow mass through binoculars and went to find out what that was. It turned out to be P. strumosa (19304), and I now know that all the colour varieties we found before were hybrids of Calderiana and strumosa as I supposed. What is interesting is that P. strumosa has the exact same unpleasant smell as Calderiana has, which would seem to put it nearer P. Calderiana than ever. There is no doubt they are the parents of all the mixed colours around here... It was a fine day after the first

SUMMARY:
The diarist notes many migratory birds from Tibet and poor seed results except likely from Marlung or passes to the west. On 21 Sept., they remain in camp while Yundon and Pasang collect Primula caveana and a fine woolly Phandra from Tamagorra Nala, returning late and exhausted, with Yundon suffering a bad headache. On 22 Sept., amid cold wind and intermittent rain and sun, letters arrive from H.H. and mail from Hicks and Ludlow, but none from Betty.

CONTENT:
This, in the same way as I did with Mec. simplicifolia. Hope it turns out well. The whole scene is too big for a cine-camera. There are a good many birds now on migration from Tibet. I saw hundreds of wagtails and two Afghan redstarts today. And I must have seen 20 Ibisbills, but they aren't on migration though. We did not do well with seed again, and certainly most of our seed this year will come from Marlung or over the passes to the West.

21st Sept. Halt. Rain at night, but a lovely day of sun and cumulus clouds. I stayed in camp to deal with yesterday's seeds, while Yundon and Pasang went up Tamagorra Nala to the NE to get P. caveana and the 8 plants of white caveana marked by Yundon when we were here before. They have just returned at 6:00 pm when I was beginning to be a bit anxious about them. Boulder scree is dangerous: one can very easily make a false step and have a nasty fall. It was too late for me to examine any seed brought, but they have got all the white P. caveana, and another basket of the usual caveana as no seed is ripe. They also found the very fine Phandra which is woolly all over, and which we took twice at Marlung, but never saw in very good flower. Today they have brought both seed and fine flower. It is a beautiful thing. I have not been able to see if the seed is good or not. Otherwise just a Sax or a Saussurea, and a few odd very small primula roots - perhaps P. cervicina or P. walshii, which I may take too. As they have had such a long day, we will not go out tomorrow, but I will do the seed and get the roots properly packed. Yundon returned with a very bad head, which he said he had most of the day.

22nd Sept. Halt. Stayed in camp. Rain and sun very cold indeed, with a strong wind. Letters came in from H.H. with food etc and a mail from Hicks, Ludlow and Kalimpong, but in some strange way no letters from Betty. Hers must have

SUMMARY:
Travel notes record heavy rain, difficult marching, and a camp on the Gyara Phu Chu, followed by a fine day reaching Gyara (Nepar). Common Primula species were noted, Lerwa with young were observed, and there is disappointment at few notable finds, with hopes to visit passes east of Lilung; transport delays prevent moving on to Pamse.

CONTENT:
Langong Trip has not been a great success (S. 647)

Last night and rain most of today with a few fine intervals. I have not been out much here yet, as we were late in, due to meeting a string of mules on a bad part of the path. The mules had come from Lhasa to summer in Langong for the grazing. I think this side of the Langong Chu must be a little drier than the south, though it does not appear to be much. Here P. hopeana, P. dryadifolia, P. macrophylla are very common, but we have seen nothing of interest.

To
22nd June. Camp on GYARA PHU CHU. 6 miles. BP. 191.1 T. 55° T. 3.0pm. Ht approx. 11832'.
Heavy rain last night, and very heavy all day today from 8.0am till 2.0pm. Then fine but cloudy. Our intention was to camp above the fir forest, but Chulla distinguished himself and came on another 4 miles. It did not matter as it happened, because we found no flowers to delay us high up. We saw Lerwa at 15,000 - 4 adult birds with a clutch of young. The adults all kept together looking after the young as if it were a joint family. On the N. of the pass P. kansuensis was very common, and some P. hopeana and dryadifolia. The forest was too dense on the way down for us to see much, and we could not see up any side valleys. The rain was really awful for two hours and soaked us through. This is a big river at the moment, and I suppose comes in from the Pacha Peaks. It is sad to think that the longest day is past, and I don't feel that I have got very much yet. It has been disappointing so far, but I hope for better finds further East, if only we can get where we want to go. There are three Passes East of Lilung, the Magu, Shoka and Namdo Las, each of which I hope to visit, but I feel that we will be lucky indeed if that all comes off. Ludlow and Sherriff will also I expect have found that this is not such a good area as that we visited in 1936. Or it may only be that everything in East Tsari is considerably later, due to more snow. Today was very cold indeed, and I don't remember any days as cold as this in Tsari.

To
23rd June. GYARA (Nepar). 4 miles. A really fine day at last, with a shower or two, but hot real sun in between. We have dried all our bedding and everything. I hoped to get on to Pamse, but transport changes here and at Pamse as well. There are no horses here, all are up the valley and won't be down till the evening. So here we must remain.