1871.] W. T. Blanford— Journey through Sihhim. 413 



above Yeomatong. The houses were small and all occupied, but 

 two of the usual black blanket tents had been pitched for us, and 

 we used these in the day, sleeping in our own. We purchased a 

 yak from the people and slaughtered it. At night the other yaks, 

 scenting the blood, came at a gallop past our tent, bellowing and 

 grunting, and a singular scene took place in the moonlight. The 

 smell of the blood appeared to excite them, they rolled in it, fought 

 with each other and rushed wildly about the place. I was afraid 

 they would knock our tent down, but they avoided it. 



4th. I remained in camp in the early morning, but after 

 breakfast, about 10 o'clock, we started on horseback for the fron- 

 tier. The day was fine, but there was a little mist, which increased 

 towards the afternoon. We went up the Lachen valley, not by 

 the alternative route via Phalung, and ascended over the huge 

 moraine which crosses the valley just above Tangii ; a little beyond 

 this we were above the limit of trees, and then the road led for 

 miles through the open valley with grassy slopes on each side. 

 About 7 miles from Tangu we came in sight of a flock of burhel 

 after which Elwes went, but without success. Above this the val- 

 ley became more and more barren, its bottom consisting of moraines 

 alternating with stony flats. I shot a Cashmir dipper, Cinclus 

 Cashmiriensis, in the river, and saw the other Himalayan species 

 G. asiaticus, and between us we procured Ruticilla erythrogastra, 

 Accentor rubeculotdes, a horned lark, Otocoris, of a species not pre- 

 viously known, and Leucosticte hcematopygia, only known before from 

 Western Tibet. 



My pony being very slow, I did not arrive till some time after 

 Elwes. I found the Suba's tents pitched under the shelter of some 

 rocks close to the frontier, which is a bleak open plain where the 

 valley is broader than usual. Our friend the Kambajong Suba was 

 beaming with politeness and good nature. He had brought us aa 

 a present three perfectly fresh skins, one of Gazella (Procapra) pic- 

 ttcauda, the others of Ovis ammon, an ewe and a young ram, to 

 obtain which he had sent out a shikari. He had also four live 

 and healthy Tibetan sand-grouse, Syrrhaptes Tibetanus, which 

 he begged us not to kill if he gave them to us.* Like a true 



* With much trouble we succeeded in bringing these alive to Darjiling, where 



