15 



now changed considerably, the evergreen forests became more scarce and the ridges lower 

 and more rounded until we were surrounded by dry upper mixed forests. The water 

 in the choung was also considerably reduced, though it continued to appear from time 

 to time in deep basins. The soft silica-sandstone alternated with seams of calcareous sand- 

 etoue and slates, and where the latter prevailed, the trees were much reduced in size. 



At Kyet ma net choung, we found about half a dozen fiiie teak-logs marked and num- 

 bered* which no doubt must have been cut somewhere on the water shed between the Pyu 

 and this choung. On arriving at the junction of the Lay dhu dha choung we marched up the 

 same to a Karen village called Khosoung Tay ; but had to go back a good distance, encamping 

 half way from the Murya ciioung (a feeder of the Lay dhu dha choung). I made fruitless 

 enquiries for a path across to the Kambala toung via Ilsenway and Kun choung, and was 

 therefore compelled to follow a route indicated to me as the only one fitted for elephants, 

 and which led along and through the Khayeng mathay choung. 



VJth February, 1871. To-day we had to cross the ridges that form the watershed 

 between the Kfe muy and Lay dhu dha choung and had an open view of the main range of the 

 Yomah, which appears quite near and very low and rounded. The forest on these ridges 

 was upper mixed forest of good growth with teak. Descending to the Kue muy chounc at 

 its junction with the Kayeng mathay choung, and after passing the Wo pyu choung, on which 

 Gha li Tay lies about a mile further up, we encamped half way between this and the Pa lay 

 ma choung. The country round about looks dry, and the forests are rather low. 



\%th February, 1871. Towards the Pay lay ma choung calcareous sandstones became 

 more conspicuous, alternating conformably with soft sandstones and slates. The forests 

 remained the same as yesterday but rather drier. Large pools of water were still met with 

 in the choung, and this fact shews that water alone, even if abundant, is not a sufficient 

 element to call Evergreen forests into existence, if the substratum is unfavourable. On 

 arriving at the junction of the Kye ma lu choung we parted, and, I may say, with pleasure, 

 from the Khayeng mathay, ascending a ridge containing toungyas. A tay stood here for- 

 merly, but now it was full of bamboos, half-burnt logs and rank vegetation, which rendered 

 our progress very difficult. There was no path further on, but our guide had to lead us over the 

 low hills covered by upper mixed forests of fine growth, in which pyenkadu, teak, toukkyan, 

 tissein, sha, thimbyun, kway, thadi, etc. grow, with tinwa and Kyattounwa as undergrowth, 

 while waya appeared lower down. We also came across a large poonzoh about a mile in leno-th 

 covered densely and almost exclusively by Polytoca heteroclita, a most disagreeable grass, which 

 grew up to a height of 8 feet, the sheaths of which were covered with fragile irritating bris- 

 tles. Our guide, after making some introductory but not very edifying remarks on our 

 advance, went ahead, pulling aside the grass right and left and we followed as close as pos- 

 sible, the stiff prickly hairs raining down upon us and causing no little irritation. Eraergiuff 

 from this grass plain, I found myself on a well-beaten bridle path, the best I had seen since 

 leaving Kway mha kheing. It is the usual traffic route of the Shaus who come from Toung- 

 hoo via the Pyu choung. The whole ridge shewed nothing but deserted touiiggyas until 

 we reached the main range of the Yomah, which is here the lowest of all the passes I crossed. 

 The upper mixed forests on it partake somewhat of the character of dry forests, the trees are 

 very low, and plenty of Khaboung is found amongst them. The bamboos were tinwa and 

 kyattounwa. From a prominent peak on the other side of the range we could at last see 

 the Kambala toung in cloudy distance to S. by W. A very sharp descent brought us down 

 to Kossu Tiiy, and, at the advice of the Karens, we encamped further dowu the Way dho 

 choung just in the fork of the junction of the little and large Way dho, which is, if I correctly 

 understood the men, a feeder of the Paiiyo gyi choung. 



\Qth February, 1871. Halted. Evergreen trees border the banks of the choung and form 

 a poor Evergreen forest, in which Ulmus lancif'oUa was most frequent as well as yemeueh 

 (Gmclina arborea), toung peing ne {Arfocarpus choplasha), Kokko (Albizaia Lehbck), (Beil~ 

 schmicclia Roxhurghiana, BiHchoffia Javanica, etc. Here I also met for the first time with a 

 mango tree, that had shed all its leaves. Mango is a pertinacoous evergreen even in the Prome 

 district, and I can only suspect that the root of the tree stood in a water hole which caused 

 the tree to shed its leaves somewhat in the same manner as those observed in the swamp- 

 forests. 



20/A February, 1871. Followed the downward course of the Way dho choung for about 2 

 or 3 miles, and from there crossed over the ridges that separate its feeders from the Tay Tay 

 choung. We followed the latter up to where Kbo sue Tay lies on a prominent ridge, 

 and encamped about a mile further up the Tay Tay choung. The forests were all the way 

 upper mixed forest with a sprinkling of evergreens at the bottom of the valleys, but a little 

 higher up from my camp, evergreen forests bordered the choung. I nowhere in the Yomah 

 met with such a variety of butterflies as here ; nearly all were different from those seen in the 

 leaf-shedding forests, and there were about 26 or 27 different species. 



2\d February, 1871. The Karens here remonstrated against my proceeding to Khos- 

 moung Tay, the route being described to me as quite impracticable for elephants, and I should 



