Edward Arnold & Co.'s Autumn Announcements. 



THE RAINBOW BRIDGE. 



By REGINALD FARRER, 



AUTHOR OF " MY ROCK GARDEN," "ALPINES AND BOG PLANTS," ETC. 



With 1 6 pages of Ilhtstrations and a Map. One Volume. Demy Bvo. 

 2is. net. 



In "The Eaves of the World" Mr. Farrer described his adven- 

 turous journey in the mountainous region on the south-west 

 border of Kansu during the summer and autumn of 1914, and 

 closed his narrative with his arrival at Lanchow. In the present 

 work he resumes the story with a detailed account of his winter 

 sojourn in that city, which presents to us a series of vivid pictures 

 of social life in one of the provincial capitals of China. Early in 

 1915 he started on his travels again, this time in a N.-N.-W. direc- 

 tion. His first objective was the remote frontier town of Si-ning 

 fu, where the lateness of the season enforced a somewhat prolonged 

 stay, but as soon as the weather permitted, he left civilization 

 behind him, and installed himself in a rude but adequate dwelling 

 situated in a lofty valley of the Da Tung Alps. 



At this point in the narrative botany again takes its proper 

 place as the predominant feature, but not exclusively so, for the 

 botanical work was diversified by more than one visit to the 

 Buddhist monasteries of Tien Tang and Chebson, the latter a 

 small town in itself. Mr. Farrer paints with enthusiasm the 

 charms of both these places, and in both his remarkable gift for 

 portrayal at once humorous and sympathetic of Chinese life 

 and character finds ample scope. His companion, Mr. William 

 Purdom, extended his travels as far as the neighbourhood of the 

 great Koko Nor Lake, fifty or sixty miles beyond Si-ning fu ; but 

 the most valuable botanical work was accomplished in the lime- 

 stone valleys of the Da Tung Alps, where several species nova were 

 obtained. 



Summer ends early in these lofty regions, and in September the 

 party returned to Lanchow. The closing chapters of the book 

 are occupied with the long journey southward partly by road 

 and partly by river from Lanchow through the heart of China 

 to the Yang-tse River, where the author takes leave of his readers. 



It may be of interest to add that Mr. Farrer, fascinated by his 

 experiences among Chinese people and Chinese flora, started last 

 year on another adventurous journey into Southern China, but 

 unhappily succumbed to illness in Upper Burmah in December, 

 1920. 



