172 A NATURALIST IN WESTERN CHINA 



of the Min River, and is broad, in good repair, but with many 

 awkward gradients. We found lodgings for the night at 

 Hsuan-kou, alt. 2640 feet, a market village of some 300 houses, 

 situated on a tributary immediately above its union with the 

 main stream, which describes a very sharp turn on leaving a 

 narrow gorge. The Min River from the An-lan chiao to this 

 point is full of minor rapids, and the current is very swift. 

 Near Hsuan-kou timber is made into rafts and floated down to 

 Kuan Hsien, thence to Chengtu and elsewhere. 



During the day's march we passed some good-sized trees of 

 Black Birch, Nanmu {Machilus spp.). Hog-plum [Spondias 

 axillaris), and small trees of Cryptomeria japonica, the latter 

 obviously planted. A large trumpet - flowered Lily was 

 abundant in rocky places by the wayside. Rice occurred 

 sporadically, but the principal crop was maize. Around the 

 inn Tea-bushes are abundantly planted. 



On leaving Hsuan-kou we crossed the tributary by a small 

 bamboo suspension bridge, and ascended the left bank by an 

 easy road for 30 li to Shui-mo-kou. Throughout this stretch 

 Cryptomeria is common. All the trees are small and obviously 

 planted, yet I cannot rid myself of the idea that it must be 

 indigenous somewhere in this vicinity. It occurs scattered 

 over a large area, always near habitations, yet it is scarcely 

 feasible to suppose that this tree has been brought from Japan 

 for the purpose of planting it hereabouts. 



Shui-mo-kou is an ordinary Chinese market village of some 

 350 houses lining either side of the main street. It is interest- 

 ing, however, as being the last purely Chinese village in this 

 direction, also the last place wherein supplies can be purchased 

 or silver exchanged until Monkong Ting is reached. I hired 

 an extra man, and all my followers laid in a stock of rice and 

 food-stuffs generally. At Kuan Hsien, appreciating fully the 

 difficult road before us, I had reduced all loads to two-thirds 

 the normal weight. In spite of this the carriers were heavily 

 laden with extra supplies, and could hardly stagger along on 

 leaving Shui-mo-kou. 



A short distance beyond the above village there is a steep 

 ascent, but after a few li the road becomes easy and winds 

 around the mountain-side. Scrub Oak and unhappy-looking 



