23 



by evergreens. The country became botanically quite interesting, fall of evergreen tropical 

 forests with many rare species in it. The formation, the whole way since we left the 

 main range of the Yomah was permeable soft sandstone. Oar furtlier route to Tounghoo 

 which we could have reached by a march of 2 or 3 days, lay in the bed of the choung, but I 

 resolved to march only a few miles a day in order that I miglit have opportunities of seruti- 

 liizing more carefully the numerous trees growing in the Choungmenah valley. 

 Jjii 5tA April, 1871.^- Went farther down the choung and encamped in the vicinity of Wet- 

 oho muy Tay where as on the preceding day I found uppermixed forests with teak on 

 the ridges, and evergreens along the choung. 



6tk April, 1871. Continued our march in the choung and encamped after passing Ny- 

 oung beng way yun. The sandstone and slate strata are here only slightly undulating, dip- 

 ping at 10" to 5; only in one place was the dip 80 to E. by N. Forests the same as yester- 

 day. The principal trees in the tropical forests here appeared to be StercuUa campanulata, 

 Acrocarpus, Payaiielia, Teirame/es, Albizzia stipulatn, Kathit ka, tliingan, Farashorea stellata, 

 Sicintoniit, Tetr-in/hera Roxb)trr]hii, Holigarna Orahumii, Nanopetalum, Ficus Roxburgldi and 

 F. glomernta, yemene, Milletti f//ancescen very frequent, Cedrcla multijuga, Mangifera, Dua- 

 banga, StercuUa scaphigera, Albizzia lucida, etc. Ye Kathit {Erythrina lithosperma) oftea 

 formed small savannah- forests along the banks. 



1th April, 1871. Moved farther downwards and encamped somewhere below the Khy- 

 eng ni choung after passing Dhu lu Tay. Met mostly with toungyas cut in evergreen forest, 

 with patches of the latter left untouched. The low ridges (only 200 to 400 ft. high) bordering 

 the choung bore upper mixed forests with teak, tinwa and kyattoun wa. Ye Kathit, ma-u, 

 and thit form locally a sort of spurious small savannah forests in the long-grassed deserted 

 toungyas. As it may be anticipated, the thermometer was in spite of the advanced season, 

 all the way very low in this valley, ranging before sunrise between 6i and 665 rising to 

 97 and 98^ at noon, but on the dry ridges it rose up to 101 to 102 degrees. 



8th April, 1871. After a 4 hours' march we encamped below the Ztiha myoung choung. 

 The evergreen forests disappear here rapidly by the help of the axe of the Karens, and be- 

 come replaced by wretched looking poonzohs or deserted toungyas. With the exception of 

 the unusually rapid thinning of evergreens, the forests remained the same. 



9th April, 1871. This morning we had a good deal of fog and dew, something quite 

 unusual during the hot season, but not uncommon in these damp valleys. Moving further 

 down the choung we encamped at the junction of the Tay myoung choung, a little below 

 To-u (Twon-oo) Tay where we met with evergreen tropical forests, interrupted by numerous 

 toungyas. Upper mixed forests, with teak which was plentiful here, covered the ridges. Iij 

 moister localities along the choung, we also found teak still in foliage. The strata of soft 

 sandstone flattened out more and more, shewing a dip of only about 5", but occasionally 

 rising to 20-30. 



loth April, 1871. Toungyas became now more extended as the valley opened out leaw 

 ing only small patches of evergreen forests along the favourably exposed ridges, while upper 

 mixed forests with pypnma tadi, theing, binga, yemene, myaya and teak came down to the 

 edges of the choung along sunny slopes. Encamped in a moister upper mixed forest a sliort 

 distance from Gyo beng hsit. Towarils evening I cut down one of the splendid palms(Ze;'- 

 vistona speciosa) that grew in a patch of evergreen forests half a mile up the choung in com- 

 pany with wa tabwot. 



lltk April, 1871. After a short march in the Choungmenah choung we left this stream, 

 and passing tlie village Gyo beng hsit at a distance entered more extensive evergreen forests 

 of a drier character, in which oaks (Qhitcws relutina) appeared. A march of a few miles 

 eastwards brought us as if by magic, to a low forest of byu {Dillenia pulcherrima), joe ( Wal- 

 aura villoaa), yindyke {Dalbergia cultrata) etc., which finally changed into typical eug-forests. 

 This change is natural, for we now moved on diluvial grounds, stiff loam and laterite, on 

 which also the village Hsae lay dob is built. Arriving at the Pan bay choung, we encampecj 

 in the bed of tliis choung, a short distance from a village. 



12cA April, 1871. Marched eastwards. After leaving the banks of the Pan bay choung 

 and its low eng forests, cultivation commenced, but from the waste places and patches of 

 jungles occasionally left standing, savannah forests were recognisable, here chiefly composed 

 of baup. At 9 A. M. we aiTived at Toungoo, where the merry folk celebrated tlieii- Burmese 

 new-year, by reciprocally bestowing on each other their liquid salutations through largQ 

 bamboo syringes. 



Year 1868. ^^ 



ith February, 1868. Left Toungoo in company with Dr. Brandisand party and crossed 

 the Sittang at Myo gyi, continuing our march through savannah forests on the alluvium of 

 the Sittang. Wo soon entered low Eng forests growing on laterite on which formation also 

 the so-called 7 Pagodas (Myatsonyinoung) are built. Here we encamped, audi remained for 

 Wiint of elephuuts till Suuday, .while Dr. Braudis and party left for llaugoon. 



