60 Capt. H. J. Walton on the 



Irises and other flowers were just beginning to blossom, 

 and day by day migratory birds arrived. 



During the three weeks after our arrival there was plenty 

 of zoological and botanical work to be done ; unfortunately, 

 this was suddenly brought to a compulsory close at the most 

 promising time, as the Commission was attacked by the 

 Tibetans in the early morning of May 5th. For the next 

 two months we were in a state of siege. It is true that 

 our investment was not very rigorous, and that we managed 

 to keep our communications with India almost unimpaired ; 

 but as it was sufficient to shew one's head outside the lines 

 to call forth an outbreak from the famous "jingals from 

 the Jong," ornithological' observations and collecting were 

 practically impossible. 



On July 6th our confinement was brought to an end by 

 the capture of the Jong and the final dispersal of the 

 Tibetan army by the British troops under Brigadier-General 

 MacDonald. On July 14th we started for Lhasa, where we 

 arrived on August 3rd. We were delayed for a week at the 

 Tsang Po (Brahmapoutra) River. The river was in flood, and 

 the only available means of transport (besides a few small 

 Berthon boats that we had brought with us) were a couple 

 of clumsy ferry-boats which the retreating Tibetans had 

 obligingly left behind them. 



On the march to Lhasa I experienced the difficulty of 

 attempting to do scientific work when the first consideration 

 is necessarily the military. No shooting was permitted 

 except on rare occasions, and no one was allowed to wander 

 away from the line of march. I endeavoured to make up 

 for the prohibition of collecting by taking notes of all the 

 birds that I saw ; but I was unable to identify satisfactorily 

 several of the species. Even at Lhasa itself the restriction 

 was not entirely removed, though I was permitted to use 

 a small-bore collecting-gun. 



Lhasa lies in an open valley, at an elevation of 12,200 feet. 

 The country around the city is highly cultivated, and large 

 crops of barley, wheat, and vegetables are grown. Besides 

 the area under cultivation, there are many groves of trees ; 



