EASTERN S2ECHUAN 75 



from 500 to 1000 feet above the valley, sparsely cultivated, 

 and for the most part well timbered with Cypress {Cupressus 

 funebris), Pine [Piniis Massoniana), and Oak [Quercus serrata). 

 Poplar is a common tree, and by the sides of streams Weeping 

 Willows abound. Shrubs in variety occur the most note- 

 worthy being Itea ilicifolia and Torricellia angulata. Nowhere 

 else have I seen this latter shrub so plentiful ; it favours the 

 sides of streams, ditches, and rocky gullies, forming a densely 

 leafy bush 8 to 12 feet tall. The fruit when ripe is black, and 

 is borne in large pendulous cymes. The Itea occurs in rocky 

 places, and its pendulous tails of greenish-white flowers are 

 often 18 inches long. The leaves very closely resemble those 

 of the common Holly, and when not in flower it might easily 

 be mistaken for that plant. 



Houses are scattered along the route, but the population 

 is sparse. We met a few mule trains, but there was really 

 very little traffic on the road. We found accommodation for 

 the night at Hsia-kou, a prettily situated hamlet, alt. 2800 

 feet, 65 li from Lao-shih-che. Our lodgings were spacious, 

 but the occupants of the house looked unprepossessing opium 

 sots. 



At To-chia-pa, a small hamlet passed a few miles before 

 reaching Hsia-kou, a road branches off to the northward and 

 leads to Chengkou Ting. It was said to be a hard road to 

 travel over. 



On leaving Hsia-kou we immediately plunged into a ravine 

 with steep limestone cliffs 300 to 500 feet high ; the road 

 follows the dry bed of a torrent. At the head of this ravine 

 we made a slight ascent, and wandered across low mountain- 

 tops for a few miles, then descended and crossed a branch of 

 the Kuichou Fu River by a covered bridge. Up to this 

 point Pine and the Chinese Fir {Cunninghamia lanceolata) are 

 common. At the bridge I photographed the largest tree of 

 Platycarya strohilacea I have seen. This specimen was fully 

 75 feet tall, with a girth of 6 feet. I had no idea it could attain 

 such dimensions. A few miles beyond this point we forded 

 the main branch of the Kuichou Fu River, a broad, shallow, 

 clear-water stream, and about noon reached the village of 

 Chiao-yang-tung. Soon afterwards we were overtaken by a 



