410 W. T. Blanford — Journey through Siklcim [No. 4, 



Some migratory birds which we had not met with at first now 

 made their appearance, amongst them Ruticilla rujiventris, Pratin- 

 cole Inclica, and Pipastes maculalus. 



September 25th. We returned to Laclning through mist and rain, 

 and re-established ourselves in the house east of the river. On 

 the road I saw some Ceriomis, and shot a hen, but the cock again 

 got off. I had no luck with pheasants. 



26th to 28th. Elwes being still too lame to walk, we were 

 compelled to halt. His leg was so queer at one time that it 

 became a question whether he should not rig up a dhuli or " man- 

 dril,"* and make the best of his way to Darjiling. But at length 

 he was sufficiently recovered to march. 



Meantime I had rambled about the neighbourhood and shot a 

 few good birds, the best being some small Sylviads, Regidoides, Phi/l- 

 loscopi, Ahromis, Sfc, and a rare long-tailed tit, jEgithaliscus iou- 

 schistus. I also obtained some nutcrakers, Nucifraga hemispila, and 

 several Leiotrichians, such as Minla ignotincta, Siva strigula, and 

 Yuhina occipitalis. Zanius tephrodomis, which was abundant a 

 fortnight before, had departed, and the higher hills were becoming 

 richly coloured with autumnal reds and browns. 



On the 27th, some of our men took a bees' nest hanging from 

 the rocks, and we obtained a large supply of honey. Curiously 

 enough, although the honey had no effect upon me nor on any of 

 the servants, a very small quantity made Elwes ill. It is notorious 

 that honey in Sikkim is sometimes poisonous, Hooker mentions 

 this, (Yol. I, p. 201,) and all the natives are acquainted with the 

 fact, but in this instance only one out of a large party was affected 

 by it. 



29th. We got away at last, and marched rapidly down the 

 valley. At Kedam, which we reached about midday, we found 

 quantities of ripe peaches, they were, however, very inferior and 

 tasteless. The marwa was fast ripening on the flats around the 

 village. We did not halt here, but went on to Chiingtam, and put 

 up in the monastery, instead of the little hut where we had pre- 

 viously slept. The monastery is at the base of the hill between 

 the Lachen and Lachiing and overlooks the junction of the two 

 * A litter slung to a bamboo as used in Canara and Malabar. 



