4l 
Extracts from the Private Letters of Dn. J. D. Hooker, written 
during a Botanical Mission to YND1A. 
Continued from p. 14. 
CALCUTTA TO DARJEELING IN SIKKIM-HIMALAYAH. 
Feb. 2nd.—The sun rose this morning behind a heavy bank of 
clouds, which gradually ascending expanded into a mottled cirrho- 
cumulus, covering the whole sky. It was probably owing to a north- 
easter (the moist wind of this quarter) bringing vapours, which are 
condensed. over the mass of hills in front, the latter being cooled during 
the night. At 6 a.M., we started for the next station on the road 
(Tofe choney), the hills increasing in height as we proceeded, and the 
country becoming more picturesque, though not less barren. We passed 
some tanks covered with abundance of white Egrets and Villarsia 
(cristata?). The situation of the Bungalow (for the convenience of 
Palkee travellers) is very pretty, at the foot of the hills which cluster 
round the base of Paras-Nath, the mountain itself rising upon the left, 
clothed with forest to its craggy top. The elevation of this station 
I find to be 1,128 feet. 
There are a good many tanks at the base of the hills here: their 
existence so near a lofty mountain from whose sides watercourses innu- 
merable descend, indicates the great natural'dryness of the country 
during one season of the year. ‘Two species of Clusia abounded, with 
a Potamogeton and Utricularia, besides Mazus, Lindenbergia, and a few 
dwarf Leguminose on the banks. The hills and valleys are richer than 
I expected, though far from luxuriant. A fine Nauclea (cordifolia) is a 
common tree; a small Bignonia, leafless, but with an immense pod 
hanging awkwardly from the branches, and a handsome Combretum, with 
white and red floral leaves, abound; also Conocarpus latifolius, and a 
large-leaved Smilax, and Dioscorea. Of Ferns there were the withered 
remains of none but Lygodium, Cheilanthes (silvery underneath), Adian- 
tum, and Selaginella, with abundance of Marsilea and Azolla in wet 
places. Ascen a granite hill, Bamboo was still the prevalent plant, 
probably B. stricta, but no flower seen ; this has foliage green when 
young and fresh, yellow in age, and whites in decay, so as to show in 
itself a great variety of tint. Acanthacee are the prevalent Natural 
Order, they are gay-flowered Ruellias, Barlerias, and such like, some- 
times = shrubs: Bauhinia (scandens or racemosa) is very frequent, 
VOL, G 
