144 MR. W. B. HEMSLEY ON THE 
of the places that would afford grazing in summer are too far 
‘distant from suitable winter quarters to be availed of by the 
nomads. 
“In South-eastern Tibet the country is of quite a different 
character ; deeply-cut valleys, steep, well-wooded hills and rivers 
that eventually find their way to the sea being the characteristics. 
The population is a settled one, living in houses and growing crops.” 
Captain Bower’s Official Report, which was of a confidential 
character and not on sale, contains a preliminary list of the 
plants with comments, both by Dr. Thorold and W. B. Hemsley, 
and also a brief account of the Zoology by the former. Through 
the courtesy of the Secretary of State for India we have been 
permitted the use of a copy for the purpose of extracting the 
scientific results. As this report is not a public one it seems 
desirable to extract in full the paragraphs relating to the collec- 
tions. In the first place we reproduce Dr. Thorold’s note on the 
botanical collection :— 
“Tam indebted to Mr. W. Botting Hemsley, F.R.S., of the 
Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew, for the determination of the 
species. The collection includes, as far as I am aware, every 
flowering plant seen by me in Tibet, with the exception of the 
wild rhubarb and the burtza [Zanacetum tibeticum], the roots of 
which latter plant are used in high altitudes of Eastern Ladak 
for fuel by shepherds and sportsmen. Both these plants are 
very bulky, and are found in Ladak, and were therefore not col- 
lected. I could get no information as to the use of any of the 
plants as medicines. The leaf of the wild rhubarb is dried and 
mixed with tobacco for smoking ; the smoke is mild and fragrant, 
and though not resembling tobacco in taste, is pleasant. Owing 
to the extremely rigorous climate the season of flowers in the 
high central plateau of Tibet is short. 
“When we crossed the frontier of Tibet on July 3rd, 1891, 
the flowers were in bud; the eggs of the birds were in their 
nests on the ground, and summer was commencing. No flowers 
were seen after September 8th, and by that date the grass was 
in seed, and the autumn well begun. 
“The plants were, therefore, collected within a comparatively 
short period. South-eastern Tibet, which was traversed between 
the beginning of December and the beginning of February, is a 
well-wooded country, rich in flora; but the high central plateau of 
Tibet has not a plant bigger than the burtza, growing four to 81x 
inches above the ground ; and in this region the only plants that 
