1876.] on the Expedition into the Dafla Hills, Assam. 65 



which attains an elevation of from 4000 — 8000 feet. Had I reached the 

 inner ranges of 10 — 12000 feet lying beyond, and got out of the region of 

 dense sombre forest, there is no doubt but that my success would have 

 been much greater. It may be said that from Darjiling to this part of the 

 Eastern Himalaya, a distance of 280 miles, the ground had scarcely been 

 worked, for the few mammals, birds, reptiles, &c, collected in Bhutan, or re- 

 corded as found there, have mostly come from the portion of the country in 

 the neighbourhood of Darjiling. A few birds were collected by the mission 

 under that zealous and talented explorer Captain Pemberton, in 1838, accom- 

 panied by Dr. Griffiths, who was more interested in the botany than in the 

 zoology ; while the mission under the hon. Ashley Eden started with a 

 taxidermist, who, owing to the difficulty of obtaining coolies, had to be sent 

 back from Sipchu just beyond Dalingkote, after having only obtained a few 

 ordinary Darjiling species ; and Mr. L. Mandelli has, I believe, been lately 

 sending his collectors into the Western Bhutan Doars ; but from the Sun- 

 kos Biver, eastward, no naturalist has had a chance of exploring the outer 

 bill -tracts. 



I was fortunate in having assistants who took a lively interest in col- 

 lecting, and my thanks are especially due to Messrs. Ogle and Bobert, of 

 the Topographical Survey, and to Mr. J. Lister, of the Botanical Gardens, 

 Calcutta, who was attached to my party to collect botanical specimens. Mr. 

 Bobert's zeal and energy have been conspicuous, both here and in the Naga 

 Hills, and the list of species has been largely added to by him. General 

 Stafford and other officers of the force took a lively interest in the birds of 

 the country, and I am indebted to them for several interesting things. 



The portion of the Eastern Himalaya occupied by the Dafla Tribe, 

 wherein the collection was made, extends from E. long. 93° to long. 94°, 

 on lat. 27°, or a distance of about 60 miles. The district of Darrung lies 

 along the base of the bills extending south to the Brahmaputra Biver, with 

 a breadth of about 18 miles. 



The hill-portion of the Dafla country is covered from base to summit 

 with dense forest, the larger trees being clothed with thick creepers ; and the 

 bottoms of the ravines are occupied by a luxuriant growth of bamboo, canes, 

 tree-ferns, screw-pines, plantains, &c. Such luxuriant vegetation renders the 

 scenery on rivers like the Dikrang and Burroi exceedingly beautiful, but it 

 is monotonous. As one ascends, the underwood becomes thinner, and at 

 7000 feet the forest is composed almost exclusively of a straight-stemmed 

 bamboo, with oak, rhododendron, and other large trees. Clearings for cul- 

 tivation are the only open ground seen, and these are of no great extent. 

 The Terai portion between the Dikrang and Burroi, where a good many birds 

 in the list were obtained, is covered with a sea of high grass, intersected 

 with sluggish nullas, the banks of which are generally fringed with forest ; 



