FLORA AND FAUNA OF THE EACH IN HTLL8. U<S 



ferns are to be found everywliere. There must be very jnany new 

 species in these hills. A species of small wild strawbeny is very 

 common, but it is absolutely tasteless ; other plants were dog and 

 white violets and cowslips. The latter only near the Paknoi kha^ 

 where also was a kind of wild sweet-briar. There is a very fine 

 fodder grass all over these hills. It has a long bamboo-like stem, 

 from which at intervals of 6 to 9 inches springs a long narrow leaf. 

 This is very fattening for all animals. Bamboo leaves form a good 

 fodder, but only for a time, as they are apt to affect the kidneys. 



Fauna, 8fc. — For the sportsman the Kachin hills themselves 

 do not afford any great attractions. These hills are so densely 

 populated that the game has been frightened away into the plains 

 and valleys below. The Kachins themselves all shoot, as numberless 

 sambur, bison, and other skulls, hung at the entrance of their houses, 

 attest. The tiger is common, as is also the leopard, both in hills 

 and plains. Their pugs and dung were seen daily, so that they 

 must be ver}^ numerous. I saw the skins of several freshly-killed 

 hill bear. These are similar in colour and markings to the ordinary 

 black bear of the plains of India. The hair, however, is short and 

 much finer, and they have more white about them. In the plains, 

 in the neighbourhood of Manmeugh, Ayaindama, and Talawgyi, 

 elephants and bison are numerous, whilst at the latter place I saw 

 numerous wild buffalo tracks. On the right bank of the Irrawaddy, 

 between Hokat and Mognung, I saw tracks of rhinoceros buffalo, and 

 bison, and also tsine. This was in 1886, but I hear they are still 

 there, no one ever having been shooting there. Sambur with very 

 good heads are very plentiful. In the plains round about Talawgyi 

 and Myitkyina the " dyair," a Burmese deer, is very numerous. Near 

 the latter place, in 1886, I shot four in a morning on the line of 

 march. I did not observe any traces at all of either chital or brow- 

 antlered deer. Nor did I see the ^' jee.^' But the barking deer is 

 very common both in hills and plains. Others are common in all the 

 streams. I saw some in the Nantabet chouug and one in the Mali 

 kha. Their traces are very commonly seen. The Gibbon monkey 

 is found everywhere, and the wild boar is common. Major Yule got 

 a curious head at Sadankong. This was called the *' takin," and is 

 evidently a rare animal of the cow tribe. The horns appear to meet 



