Scarcely any water occurred on the route; from just above Khegumpa, a beautiful valley is seen to the left, with a good deal of cultivation. No large villages were seen.
January 25th.—Khegumpa. This is a pretty place; but the whole country has a wintry appearance from the trees having mostly deciduous leaves; it is a small village, not containing twelve houses. Pagodas with the inscription-bearing walls occur as usual; on a small hill rising from just below the village, a large house with out-houses belonging to a Lam Gooroo, is the prettiest bit of architecture I have yet seen. We put up in a small house, of the usual poor construction, capable of containing four or six people, the roofs are of wood, the planks being kept down by stones. The evening was very cold, but the thermometer did not fall below 44°. Here a solitary specimen of Pinus was seen.
A beautiful tree, with pendulous leaves and cones, which resemble those of Abies, occurred. Rhododendron is common here. Around the hut I observed Lobelia, Rumex, Quercus, Ranunculus, Plantago, Leucas ciliata, Gnaphalia, Rubus, Urtica urentior, Rubi 2, Pteris aquilina, Geranium, Galium, Artemisia major, Fragariæ, Betula? ramis pendulis, foliis lineari lanceolatis, Jubrung, Phlomoides, in flower, Spiræa bella, Tetranthera, Daucus, Gleichenia major, Oxalis corniculata, Dipsacus. The trees were covered with Lichens; the only cultivated plants I saw, and of these only straggling individuals, were tobacco and Bhobosa.
In a wood at the base of the hill on which the Lam Gooroo’s house is situated, Saurauja hispida, and S. arborea,* Woodwardia,* Rubia cordifolia, Oaks, Spiræa bella, decomposita, Stemodia, Cerasus, Curculigo, Pogonatherum,* Carduus, Polygonum rheoides, Panax, Bucklandia, Berberis asiatica and Porana, occurred.
Our march, after passing this hill, commenced by a descent through a damp wood of Oaks, Eurya. Here Swertiæ 2 occurred on banks. Clematis verbesina, Gordonia, Erythrina, Myrica. Thence we passed along a ridge, the forests being stunted and wintry, abounding with Rhododendron and oaks. Myrica, and pendulous lichens occurred in abundance, but grasses predominate, chiefly Airoid and Andropogons.
From this to the right was seen a beautiful valley with a moderate-sized village and picturesque houses, with considerable and very clever cultivation.
Thence we crossed to the other side of the ridge, descending a little and then continuing through forests of oak, consisting of a species found on the Khasyah hills, and approaching Q. Robur: as all the leaves had fallen, the whole appearance was that of winter. Here I shot the Jay figured in Royle’s work: continuing to descend very gradually, I observed Epilobium,* Neckera, Fissidens, Brachymenium, Nerioideum in fruit and half buried in the fallen leaves; a pretty Gentiana, Ruta albiflora, Potentilla. After passing along this for some way we commenced a sharp descent. At about 4,800 ft. Vitex simplex, occurred. Indigofera re-appeared, with Saccharum rubro nitens of Churra, the other grasses being Andropogons, 2-3, and Orthopogon, Hedychium, Gordonia soon re-appeared: to the east, cultivation was visible, and to the north, Pines were visible in every direction stretching away far below us to a considerable torrent. About one-third of the way down this steep ravine, at the bottom of which a torrent was heard roaring, Wendlandia, Spiræa bella, Hedychium, Gaultheria arborea, Aspera Rhododendron, Pteris aquilina, Artemisia, Saurauja hispida, Indigofera, Eurya, Mimosa arborea, Mæsa angustifolia of yesterday; Osbeckia nepalensis, Viburnum, Tetranthera, Ficus, Gleichenia minor, Crawfurdia speciosa, Polygonum rheoides, were found. Hitherto the woods had been dry, or rather so, but on turning to the east, we came into damp woods presenting many tropical features, along which we continued descending gradually for some time: at the commencement in this, Callicarpa arborea, a weeping Beech, Dipsacus verbesina, and the Alnus, of Thumathaya occurred, Arbutoideus, Hydrangea, Urtica heterophylla, Neuropeltoid aromatica. Then below we came on Piper, Deeringia, Cerasus, Sanicula, Cyrtandracea, Cheilosandra gracilis, and fleshy Urticeæ. Underwood, herbaceous forms of Acanthaceæ, Ferns, as Davallia, Asplenium, all more or less succulent. Darea, Glycine, Buchanania, Saurauja ferruginea, Thalictrum majus, Pothos, etc. Hypericum, Begonia, Panax terebinthaceus, Magnoliacæ, Garciniæ, Valeriana cordifolia.* Passing on at the same elevation, we suddenly rounded a ridge, and in one moment came on dry, sunny, rocky, grassy ground, the trees being exclusively Rhododendron, oaks and a few Gordonias with Airoid, Andropogons, Pteris aquilina: we then came on the brink of the ridge up to which Pinus longifolia ascends; the elevation of this was 4,132 feet (60.204½.) [a/][{212}] From this all around Pinus is visible in profusion; we then dipped to the south, this face being occupied by thick forest, having Rhododendrons on the skirts. From the above spot Saleeka was visible, with a fine grove of Pines, it is 1,500 feet, at least above this.
The descent was steep, we soon came on Callicarpa arborea, Celtis megala, Pogostemon, Stemodia grandiflora; this was about 4,300 feet, where a clearing had been commenced: close to this I observed Martynia, Pteris, Composita arborea, Desmodium vestilum, Flemingia, and gathered at 4,000 feet a Verbenaceous shrub, looking like a Plumbago, and a Bœhmeria; continuing, without descending much, I came on Pinus, Rhododendron, Gaultheria.
Loranthus was here a common parasite on Pinus, oaks occurred but the species was changed; this had small leaves, white underneath; and descending we continued through pine woods, Artemisia minor, together with the usual grasses and Aspideium macrosomum.