13 



5th February, 1 871. On our journey to-day to Hsa-beng, 4 Burmese miles N. E., we had 

 to traverse a very dry broken tract of low ridges forming the water-shed between the Ye noe 

 and Pyit ohoungs, and we had to carry our drinking water in bamboos. The forests as might 

 be expected were of the same character as observed on the previous day viz. upper-mixed 

 forests witli plenty of pj'enkadu, but very little teak. The chief bamboo was tinwa. Coming 

 down after midday from the very tiresome ridges, we crossed the Pyit choung. Here 

 another pure teak forest was met with under almost the same conditions as on the 6th iust. 

 fiz. in a fork of a choung uniting with the Pyit. Very few other trees were found in it, viz. 

 tabwot gyi {Miliusa fomentosn,) Kimbalin {Antidemna BuiiiasJ tamin sa pyu (Gardenia 

 sessiliflora,) gnu (Cassia Jistula,) and nyoung pyu {Ficus Etitnphii.) And from the presence 

 of these trees, as well as from the fact of my having found a good deal of sugarcane here, I 

 was led to infer that this forest had developed itself from former savannah forests. The low 

 growth consistSLchiefly of Leea, Sclcria, Orthopogon, Andropoffon, Calamus fasciculatus, Run- 

 gia, Bliimea, Lygodium, Musa rubra, Sida rhornlifolia, Lepidagathis hyalina, Desinodimn gyroi- 

 des, Vernonia cinerea, Acrocephahis cipifatus. And of climbers only the baup noe, were seen. 

 The teak trees here were badly grown, and appeared to be all of the same age, but were 

 apparently older than those of the Ye noe. We encamped at Hsa-byeug. 



10th February, 1871. To-day's march led northward. After leaving a patch of lower 

 mixed forests we found a pure teiwa {Bambusa Tulda) jungle stretching as far as Moung gij 

 Tay from here upper mixed forests with a few teak but plenty of pyenkadu and an under- 

 growth of Kyattoun wa and tinwa, alternated with numerous deserted tonngyas, on which 

 bamboos had chiefly sprung up. On entering upon the alluvium of the Kun choung, low 

 forests reappeared. Only a single narrow strip of evero^reen forest occurred along a small 

 choung, in which 2 fine flowered Acanthaceous plants (Fhlogacanthus curvifloi'us and Justicia 

 grandifolia) surprised me. Passing Mobhu yua we encamped in a lower mixed forest opposite 

 Lepan Kweng on the Kun choung. 



Wth Februiry, J 871. To-day we marched along the bed of the Kun choung which is 

 very broad and well beaten. I could here, for the first time since leaving Kwe mha Kheing, 

 avail myself of my pony. The choung was bordered all along by toungyas, either cultivated 

 or deserted, and small patches of trees here and there led me to suspect that the original vege- 

 tation belonged to a savannah forest of a hill character, in which ye kathit {Erythrina lithosy 

 pertnn,) didu {Bambax malabariciim,) Bisehnffia Jananica, ihii {Albizzia eVtta) etc. formed a 

 conspicuous feature. After passing 2 or 3 Jabin villages, cultivation ceased and the ridges 

 partly bordered the banks while the forests changed accordingly from savannah-forests to upper 

 mixed forests on the ridges and sunny slopes. At the debouchure of a small choung we as- 

 cended a very sharp narrow ridge of the left bank and found ourselves in the same kind of 

 broken uniform but wild looking country that we came across on former occasions. The upper 

 mixed forests with plenty of kyattoun wa but apparently no teak were interspersed by nu- 

 merous wretched looking poonzohs while the N. and N. E. slopes shewed evergreen forests. 

 Continuing our cross march over several ridges, we found ourselves opposite Taya Tay where 

 we encamped on very rugged ground at the choung. Here I learnt that the whole male 

 population, with the exception of two old men, had gone to a distant Tay to celebrate a 

 marriage. I was therefore unable to make any arrangements for guides or to lay my route 

 for the following day. 



12// February, 1871. Halted. Towards evening the trampling and humming in the 

 bamboo Tay above our camp indicated the return of our friends, the Karens. I sent my in- 

 terpreter at once to make arrangements for guides, but he soon came back with the news that 

 the Karens were all drunk and talked nothing but nonsense. 



13<A February, 1871. Against my expectations the Karens had slept out their joviality 

 pretty well and came down still clad in their wedding garments of white and blue. 

 Arrangements were then soon made, and we started at 8 a. m. Crossing several ridges of 

 the same nature as those of yesterday we came back to the Kun choung iu the bed of wliich 

 we continued our march up to the junction of the Kayeng ma thay clioung. The entrance 

 to the latter clioung is rather difficult, as it is barred by a stagnant pool so muddy that my 

 pony continually sunk up to his belly. After clearing this difficulty the bed of the Khayeng 

 mathay much resembled that of the Kun, but it is narrower and clothed with a greater 

 amount of evergreen forest. I soon found it impossible to proceed further on horseback, on 

 account of the loose sand I was riding over, and on dismounting and examining the ground, I 

 found out that the sand layer was only about 2 feet deep while beneath it a stratum of water 

 was traced something very like some streams in Africa. I had, therefore, to wade through 

 the water often as deep as to my hips. Opposite a small alluvial flat covered by elephant- 

 grass we encamped towards evening on a rather steep slope. The ridges here bore upper 

 mixed forests with a little teak, but plenty of pyenkadu, pyenma and especially myouk gun 

 (Duabanga). The bamboos were the usual tinwa and Kyattounwa. The favourably exposed 

 slopes and the sheltered bottom of the valley were covered by evergreen tropical forest. 



