i54 $ DR. HOOKER’S MISSION TO INDIA. 
In the evening, walked out again. The forest is truly magnificent 
along the excessively steep mountajn sides. Except the Careya, whose 
abortive stamina, as well as other points in its flower, remind me of 
apoleona, little was in blos Wrightia mollissima formed a small 
tree, now nearly leafless, wit curious hanging pods. The Saul is 
eed a noble tree; I saw no individuals at Paras-Nath to compare 
with these. It is certainly the mid-winter of this region, and the 
apparently great proportion of deciduous trees were far more consider- 
able than I expected; partly, probably, due to the abundance of the 
scarlet-fruited Sterculia, whose copious fruit was all the more conspi- 
cuous from the leafless condition of the plant. Mosses are far from fre- 
quent, and the Lichens are principally corticolous species. A few Agarict 
were the prevalent Fungi. Ferns, too, are more season-plants than I 
expected ; the majority are showing their crozier-like heads, except a 
Pteris d Stegania? which appear to be perennials. The white or lilac 
blossoms of the convolvulus-like Thunbergia are the predominant 
feature of shrubby vegetation, and very handsome they are. 
Except a prodigious quantity of large ants, of several species, I see 
few insects; these bite severely. Continued wind and rain all night. 
On the following morning I walked up the hill on the Darjecling 
road. Turning the spur of a hill, round which the path winds, a 
superb steep valley of the Mahanuddy is opened. All around, the hills 
rise five or six thousand feet, steeply, and clothed in a dense deep-green 
dripping forest. Torrents rush down the slopes, but their position is 
only indicated by the dipping of the forest into their beds, or the occa- 
sional cloud of spray rising along some more boisterous part of their 
course l the hill-tops are clothed in clouds, and appear a far from 
inviting retreat ; yet I have thirty miles to wind amongst them before I 
shall reach Darjeeling. 
From the road, at and a little above Punkabarrie, the view is really su- 
perb, and very instructive even to so idle an eye as mine was. I send 
you a little sketch. Behind (or north) the Sub-Himalaya rise in the 
steep confused masses I have described. Below, the hill on which 1 
stand, and the ranges as far as the eye can reach east and west, throw 
spurs on to the plains of India. These are very thickly wooded, and 
enclose broad, dead-flat, hot and damp valleys, apparently covered with 
a dense forest. Secondary spurs of clay and gravel, like that imme- 
diately below Punkabarrie, rest on the bases of the mountains, and seem 
