1866.] LETTER FROM LIEUT. R. C. BEAVAN. 3 



"The foot of the hill, or talus, is covered with a dense jungle of 

 bamhoos, grass, and forest trees (some of immense height), with clear 

 streams running through it to the plain below. Above this the rock 

 in places is quite perpendicular ; and although vegetation in Burmah 

 manages to cover places apparently so, here and there the rock was 

 bare, where even a moss or lichen could scarcely get a footing. 

 "Wherever not quite a wall, the rock was covered with creepers and 

 bushes, and the gullies or small watercourses actually produced trees 

 of large size. 



" The heat near the top, which is covered with high grass, was 

 very great, the radiation from the black rocks making it more severe; 

 and at this time of the year, just after the rains, the power of the 

 sun is unusually great. Zwagaben, more popularly known by the 

 name of the ' Duke of York's nose,' from its appearance as seen from 

 Moulmein, is mentioned by Mason in his work * On Burmah,' edit. 

 1860, as the hill on which the ark is said to have rested (by the 

 Karens) after the deluge. A similar tradition of the Lepchas is 

 quoted at Darjeeling with reference to a hill in that neighbourhood, 

 ' Tendong,' but in both instances is doubtless an idea originally con- 

 ceived from missionary teaching. 



" Halfway up, near the poongye house, I procured specimens of 

 a Pericrocotus — a male in scarlet plumage, probably P. Lrevirostris ; 

 that curious Nuthatch, Denrlrophila frontalis ; a small robin-like 

 bird, apparently a Shortwing, Brachypteryx, sp. ; Rubigala flavi- 

 ventris, Tick. ; a Phyllornis, near P.jerdoni, but differing slightly 

 (P. cochinchinensis ?) ; a dark-olive-brown Pycnonotus (?), and a 

 curious little Erythrosterna, perhaps E. acornaus, Hodgs. 



"Near the top I got a specimen *of Petrocossyphus cyaneus with 

 remarkably rufous under tail-coverts, and I saw another on the iron- 

 work of the pagoda at the top. The only other birds seen there 

 were a small flock of a species of the genus Prinia, in the long grass, 

 and some Swallows and Swifts overhead, besides an occasional Vul- 

 ture {Gyps indicus) soaring several feet below us. Adjutants do not 

 appear to frequent Zwagaben or to breed there, as they do on the 

 other limestone hills in the vicinity. The rocks they nest on are no 

 doubt inaccessible to any but an expert native, who uses his toes 

 like fingers, and can swarm up anything, especially one of these 

 hill-Karens. According to all accounts Adjutants' eggs are very 

 difficult to procure. I have tried in vain since I came to Burmah 

 to get hold of some, and hear that Dr. Squire tried too without 

 success. The top of Zwagaben is the only known locality for that 

 rare little fern, Adiantum parishii, which I had the pleasure of 

 gathering myself, guided to the spot, only a few yards square, of 

 course by Mr. Parish himself. About the Karen fortress (Don- 

 gyany), mentioned by Mason, distant only a few miles, is found that 

 rare orchid, Phalcenopsis lowii, of which Mr. Parish succeeded in 

 getting a good supply in flower. The only Crow seen at the foot of 

 the hill was Coitus culminatus. C. splendens appears to avoid the 

 jungles altogether. About the bottom I found the large llocket- 

 tailcd Drongo ■( EdoUus paradisevs) tolerably common. The Shama 



