14 



14th February, 1871. Prooeeded along the bed of the ohoung through all its windings, 

 and observed all tliose variations in the forests which are produced by exposure ; the alluvial 

 borders contained principally elephant grass with here and there suoh trees as are oharaoteristio 

 of savannahs in these hills. The evergreen forests became splendid and the most conspicuous 

 and prevalent trees were chiefly Swintonia Schicenckii, Parkia, plenty Acrocarpus fraxinifolim 

 Dipterocarpm turbinatus, Pentace Birmanica, Cedreln tooim, Albizzia stipulata, Parashorea 

 nu'Uata and Payanelii. A lofty palm* 100 feet high looking like a toddy palm and called so 

 by the Burmans (tau htan) made the scenery more picturesque. In the upper mixed forests 

 of the ridges and along sunny slopes, teak was found, but it was rather scarce, while pyen- 

 kadu was the prevailing tree. 



My shoes had gone to pieces in the mud and water I had to wade through, and as I had 

 only a single pair left which were also in a suspicious condition, but which I wished to pre- 

 serve, I had no choice left but to adopt the Burmese fashion, tuck up my trowsers, dispense 

 with stockings, and do the best of my journey barefoot. 



The elephants were also harrassed here ; they were continually sinking into the mud, 

 and finally two of them got so deep into a hole that I almost gave them up for lost. The 

 terrified mahouts leaped off their seats, while the poor animals made the whole valley re-echo 

 with their dismal trumpettings. With wonderful sagacity, however, the elephants threw 

 themselves on their sides, and worked only their forelegs with half circular strokes until they 

 reached firm ground ; but my luggage did not fare well under such circumstances. 



At about 4 P. M. we arrived at a narrow gorge whicli the river had out through a sand- 

 stone ridge of about 300 feet, one section of which towered over the forests and exhibited 

 the stratification most beautifully. It is the usual sakhan of the Karens ; but further progress 

 seemed impossible as the clear and beautiful water was so deep that an elephant which was 

 made to dive did not touch ground although only the tip of his uplifted trunk remained 

 visible. Here we halted for the night, while ray people out down a large number of waya 

 bamboos and constructed the same evening a double raft with railings, which did great credit 

 to their skill. 



\bth February, 1871. This morning we crossed the gorge and proceeded onwards along 

 the bed of the choung. The valley remained much the same, being occupied by evergreen 

 tropical forests with upper mixed forests along the sunny slopes and on the ridges. The foot- 

 prints of wild beasts which yesterday were quite conspicuous became still more abundant 

 especially at the junction of the lateral chouugs where the mud was perfectly covered with 

 them. The prints of at least 15 animals were distinguished, and were identified by my men 

 as those of tigers, leopards, deer, wild elephants and, what I took for the foot-prints of young 

 elephants, but which my men recognized as those of a rhinoceros. 



We soon arrived at another gorge much more difficult and longer than the first one with 

 vertical or rather overhanging rock walls along which we had to crawl. The luggage had 

 again to be taken off the elephants and rafts -were being constructed while we coutinued 

 our march. 



Being ahead while the guides remained with the elephants we followed the foot-prints 

 of men which led up a small choung to the left. It was a beautiful valley for a botanist, and 

 I found here the only tree ferns {Ahophila glauca) I had met with in the Pegu Yomah. 

 After a mile or so, I sat down to lunch when Uday an energetic and clever Burman, came to 

 lead us to the right track. He had seen muddy water fiowing from the valley and at once 

 suspected that wo had gone the wrong way, and so it was. 



After returning to the Khayeng mathay choung, and proceeding for a mile or so, I fell 

 in with my camp which I found in perfect confusion. The elephants were without their ma- 

 houts who had scrambled up the tree. The cause of the disturbance was that a wild tusker 

 had come down the choung but seeing himself confronted by 3 elephants had dashed into the 

 dense jungles. It must have been a splendid animal, for the print of his foot measured, 

 1 foot 5 inches in length, while the prints of other elephants I had measured never exceeded 

 a foot. 



We encamped at a large bend of the choung about 5 miles from the Lay dhu dha 

 choung. The Karens kept up fires all the night but the Burmese seemed to be quite in- 

 different to the roar of the wild beasts which was heard in rather too close proximity to be 

 [)leasant. All the game of the Yomah seems to have retreated into this valley and, (I am 

 told) to the head waters of the Ye noe and Zamayi choungs. 



IWi February, 1871. The first part of the march was identical with that of former days 

 we met with fine rattans such as a Yamata and l^me, occasionally in large quantities, the 

 canes measuring.over 2 in. in diameter. A gorge nearly a quarter of a mile iu length 

 delayed us a good deal and it was almost impossible to get my pony over it on account of 

 the rocks. Another still longer but less deep and fordable gorge followed. The scenery 



Livistona spectabilia differing from L. JenJcensii, chiefly by somewhat larger almost elliptical fruits, 

 and scurvy spathes. 



