( 104 ) 



duce of the Kakhyen hills. East of the lake the country is com- 

 paratively marshy, and the arborescent vegetation was principally 

 represented by stunted Fici, Dipterocarpus grandiflora, Bombax, Strych- 

 nos, Nux vomica, and Licuala peltata. The water and banks were 

 covered with birds in large numbers, among which I noted snippets 

 and sand-pipers in great variety ; Phceopus vulgaris, ibis (black and 

 white), Leptoptilos argala, Ardcafusca, Herodias alba,Pigrisoma melano- 

 lopha, Nyeticorax grisens, Rhynehops nigra, Pelican (Pelicanus onocro- 

 talus), Carlo lancogaster, geese, duck (of four varieties), snipe, and in 

 the vast paddy plains stretching far away to the north, Grus anti- 

 gone and jungle fowl were common. It was a most difficult 

 matter to get within shot of the cranes, and after a hard day's 

 stalking, I only managed to bag two, both unfortunately females. 



188. On the 1st January 1874, I started on my excursion up 



the Taping, accompanied by one of the 

 ^ Excursion from Tseekaw up the Governor's officials. The canoes were 

 aping ' cut out of a single teak log, and only 



sufficiently broad to admit of us sitting in line ; even a change of 

 position, necessitated the greatest precaution for fear of a capsize, 

 so cranky were these little cockle-shells. At the start, I was under 

 the impression that these boats had been provided with a view to 

 intimidate me, but before we reached the rapids I found the journey 

 could not have been accomplished in any other way — so strong was 

 the current. Up to old Bhamo, the banks remained unchanged in 

 character, but the river was much divided by sand-banks, the prin- 

 cipal channel not being over twenty feet wide and two feet deep. 

 Here the course abruptly changed from N.N.E. to S.S.E., and we 

 found ourselves gradually being walled in on either side by high 

 hills, densely cloaked in evergreen forests, passing into almost pure 

 bamboo and plantain jungle, as they neared the water's edge. 

 We had entered the defile ; and here the stream narrowed to 

 sixty yards, increasing in velocity as we ascended, and decreasing 

 in breadth as the high sand-stone cliffs converged into a narrow 

 gauge, through which the rapids poured over huge boulders, 

 leaving in places a channel of not over three yards for the water 

 to pass. The first obstacle that necessitated us leaving our 

 canoes was a dislodged block of rock that had settled in the 

 centre of the stream. It was larger than any ordinary house, 

 and stood nine feet out of the water. Tradition has christened 

 it the " zoorjee zone," or the sorcerer's mortar. The hollow in the 

 centre is supposed to have been the saucer from which he drank, 

 and is called " zoorjee zoon," while the third cavity represents his 

 foot-print, we are told, though it least represents that part of 



