IN VARIOUS PARTS OF THE GLOBE. 3 



gradually dilate and coalesce, but do not shroud the mountain for 

 some hours, generally not before 1 1 a.m. or noon. Before that 

 time, however, masses of mist have been rolling over Darjiling 

 ridge to the westward, and gradually filling up the valleys, so 

 that by noon or 1 p.m. every object is in cloud. 



Towards sunset it falls calm, or a light S.W. wind springs up. 

 In the former case the mists rise, first from the S.E. mountains, 

 and especially if the S.E. wind, exhausted of its surplus vapours, 

 still blows, which raises the clouds first from Sinchul ; and when 

 this is clear, Tonglu breaks through the western mists. If on 

 the other hand a S.W. breeze sets in, or a W. or N.W., Tongl6 

 clears first. 



In descending from Darjiling the zones of vegetation are 

 well marked at a little below 7000 feet, or between 6000 and 

 7000, by — (1 .) The oak, chesnut, and 3Iagnoliacece, the main fea- 

 tures of 7000—10,000 feet. (2.) Immediately below 6500, the 

 Tree-fern* appears {Alsophila gigantea, Wall.) — a widely dis- 

 tributed plant, common to the Ilimalaya from Nepal eastward 

 to the Malayan Peninsula, Java, and Ceylon. (3.) Of palms, a 

 species of Calamus,^ and Plectocomia, the " llhenoul " of the 

 Lepchas. The latter, though not a very large plant, climbs lofty 

 trees, and extends about 40 yards through the forest ; 6500 feet 

 is the upper limit of palms in the Sikkim Himalaya, the Rhenoul 

 alone attaining this elevation. Four other Calami range between 

 1000 and 6000 feet on the outer hills, some of which are found 

 40 miles distant from the plains of India. The other palms of 

 Sikkim are, " Simong," — Caryota urens : it is rare, and ascends 

 to nearly 6000 feet. Phanix,'\. a small stemless species, proljably 

 P. ncaulis, Buch. (/*. humilis, Koyle?), which grows on the driest 

 soil in the deep valleys ('' Schaap" of the Lepciias). Wallic/tia§ 

 oblongifolia, Gr. (densifiora, Mart.), a plant liaving a very wide 

 range (Assam and Chittagong). It is the " Ooh " of the Lep- 

 chas, who make no use of it ; Dr. Campbell and myself, however, 

 during a recent journey hi Sikkim, found that it is an admirable 

 fodder for horses, who prefer it to any other green food to be had 

 in these mountains. Areca gracilis, tlie eighth, and Licuala, 

 are the only other palms of these mountains ; but Cycas pectinata, 

 with the India-rubber fig, occurs in the deepest and hottest 



* Of this I have seen two species in the mountains. 



X The fruits of all the Calami are eaten by the Lepchas, and the stems of 

 larger species applied to various economic purposes. 



X The feathery fronds of the Phamix are used as screens in hunting : no 

 other use is made of any part of the plant, except that the yoimg seeds are 

 eaten. 



§ Von Martius, in the last part of his superb work, retains Roxburgh's 

 generic name of Wallicliia for this palm. 



B 2 



