Information respecting Botanical Travellers. 407 



"west of the direct road. We thought Chupcha a delightful place : 

 the scenery is varied, the temperature delightful, varying in-doors 

 from 46° to 52°. The face of the mountain, although very steep, is 

 about the castle well cultivated : the crops, which were of six-ranked 

 barley, were very luxuriant, and certainly the finest we ever saw in 

 the country. The red-legged crow recuiTed here. During our stay, 

 I ascended the ridge immediately above the castle, passing through 

 a very large village of Gylongs, elevated at least 9000 feet. This 

 village was the largest I saw in Bootan, and was ornamented with a 

 pretty religious building, surrounded by junipers, and more deco- 

 rated than such edifices usually are. Up to the village the path passed 

 through beautiful woods of Finns excelsa : above it I came on open 

 sward, which continued on the south face up to the very summit of the 

 ridge, which was nearly 11,000 feet. The north face of the moun- 

 tain was well wooded : on it rhododendrons, a few black pines, beau- 

 tiful clumps of Pinus Smithiana, bogh pat, mountain pears, aconites, 

 columbines, saxifrages, primroses, &c. were found in abundance. 

 The southern face was decorated with a pretty yellow anemone, and 

 the pink spikes of a bistort. From the ridge still loftier ones were 

 visible in every direction, all of which were covered with snow, which 

 lightly sprinkled the one on which I stood. At this season snow 

 scarcely remains for a day under 11, 000 feet, except in very sheltered 

 situations. 



\5th. I left Chupcha with much regret. We descended by a pre- 

 cipitous path to a torrent about 1800 feet below the castle. Cross- 

 ing this, we descended gradually until we came on the ravine of the 

 Teemboo ; at which point there is a small pagoda, visible from 

 Chupcha. We then turned southwards, and continued for a long 

 time at nearly the same level, passing a small village, Punugga, three 

 or four hundred feet below us. The march was seventeen miles. 

 The road in many places was very bad, and scarcely passable for 

 loaded ponies. The scenery was frequently delightful, and vegeta- 

 tion was in the height of spring luxuriance. The hills bounding the 

 ravine of Teemboo continued very high until we reached Chuka ; they 

 were well diversified, particularly at some height above us, with 

 sward and glade, and richly ornamented with fine oaks, rhododen- 

 drons, cedar-like pines, and Pinus excelsa. Water was most abun- 

 dant throughout the march, and in such places the vegetation was 

 indescribably rich and luxuriant. No village besides that of Punugga 

 was passed or seen, nor did I observe any cultivation. I was much 

 impeded by droves of cattle passing into the interior, for the road 

 was frequently so narrow, and the mountains on which it was formed 



