444 



.\'.-/ TURE 



[March 9, 1899 



grandest snowy landscape in the world," it is certainly 

 questionable whether a grander view is known. One 

 reason amongst others why the prospect of the snowy 

 range from Darjeeling so greatly excels that from Simla, 

 for instance, is that the high snow-clad peaks are only 

 half as far distant from the former as they are from the 

 latter. Nevertheless, the higher Himalayas north of 

 Xaini Tal, Mussooree and Simla attract far more 

 European travellers than the higher ranges of -Sikhim 

 because of the great difficulty and e.\pense of journeying 

 in the latter country. Where there are practically no 

 roads, no rest-houses, no facilities for the conveyance of 

 baggage or provisions, and only very small and precarious 

 supplies of food, where everything, from tents to cooking- 

 pots, for a traveller and his guides and followers has to be 

 carried by porters brought from a distance, over steep 

 hillsides in dense forest, along precipices only to be 

 climbed by bamboo ladders, and across raging torrents 



the lower elevations, and the Tibetans or Bhotias who 

 occupy the higher habitable tracts, but he has also de- 

 voted considerable attention to the natural history of the 

 country. He was the author of a very large portion of 

 the Gazeltctr of .Sikhim, to which he contributed an ex- 

 cellent descripiion of Lamaism or Tibetan Buddhism, 

 and also a list, with numerous notes, of the Sikhim birds. 

 Although his present work, "Among the Himalayas," 

 wants the charm of Hookers delightful " Himalayan 

 Journals," treating of the same area, it contains a good 

 descriptive account of Sikhim, with many excellent 

 illustrations. 



The book consists of notes on journeys inade at 

 different times through various parts of .Sikhim, chiefly 

 by the author himself. He was unfortunately prevented 

 from visiting the Lachen valley and its tributary the 

 Zemu, leading to perhaps the most interesting comer 

 of the country, north of the great snowy mountain Kan- 



spanned b\- swaying cane bridges that aflbrd, by the in- 

 security of their fastenings and the tenuity of their foot- 

 hold, a lively conception of the approach to the Mahom- 

 medan Paradise, it is not surprising that but few 

 travellers care to face the difficulties of the journey. It 

 is true that within the last decade a few bridle roads 

 have been made and rest-houses built, here and there, 

 but still travelling in the interior of Sikhim is by no 

 means so easy as in the \Vestern Himalayas. 



Yet Sikhim has many attractions besides its scenery. 

 The fauna and flora are wonderfully rich and interesting ; 

 of birds alone nearly 600 species are known to occur, 

 or about as many as are found in the whole of Europe, 

 and the inhabitants afford a remarkable anthropological 

 problem. Major Waddell, the author of the work before 

 us, has peculiar advantages in undertaking a description 

 of the country, for not only has he spent many years in 

 studying the languages, religion and customs of the 

 principal inhabitants.the aboriginal l.cpchas who cultivate 



NO. 1532, VOL. 59] 



chcnjunga ; and tins is parliciilarK ui be regretted, 

 because the tract specified has hitherto been very briefly 

 and imperfectly described, though some beautiful photo- 

 graphs were obtained, of which one is now repro- 

 duced. .-Xlmost all of the routes traversed by Major 

 Waddell had been previously described by Hooker or 

 by other travellers ; but the present work adds much 

 useful information, as it is the first written by any one 

 familiar with the languages and customs of the people. 

 The illustrations, chiefly photographs of the scenery and 

 of the people, their dwellings, monasteries, &c., repro- 

 duced by some of the processes now so largely used, are 

 not only very numerous, but also well selected and, in the 

 majority of cases, effectively printed. No better repre- 

 sentations of Himalayan scenery have ever been published 

 on a small scale. 



It is impossible here to discuss the numerous subjects 

 noticed by Major Waddell, but there is one of general 

 interest — Mount Everest— to which he makes an im- 



