XXVI INTRODUCTION 



well as what he was — a great sportsman and a writer 

 of great poetry. 



It is for the advent of such Naturalist- Artist that 

 we wait. But we have to prepare the way for him 

 and do our share in helping to produce him. And 

 this will now be my endeavour, for it so happens 

 that I have been blessed with opportunities — some 

 of my own making, some provided for me — of seeing 

 Nature on a larger scale and under more varied 

 aspects than falls to the lot of most men. I am 

 ashamed when I reflect how little use I have made 

 of those opportunities — how little I was prepared 

 and trained to make the most of them. But this at 

 least I can do : I can point out to the coming Artist 

 those parts of the world where he is likely to see 

 the Beauty of Nature most fully, and in greatest 

 variety. 



With this end in view I shall begin with the 

 Sikkim Himalaya, over which the eagle flew, 

 because it contains within a small area a veritable 

 compendium of Nature. Rising directly out of the 

 plains of India, practically within the tropics, these 

 mountains rise far above the limits of perpetual 

 snow. Their base is covered with luxuriant 

 vegetation of a truly tropical character, and this 

 vegetation extends through all the ranges from 

 tropical to temperate and arctic. The animal, 

 bird, and insect life does the same. And here also 

 are to be found representative men of every clime. 

 Similarly does the natural scenery vary from plain 

 to highest mountain. There are roaring torrents and 

 wide, placid rivers. The Sikkim Himalaya, looking 

 down on the plains of India on the one side and the 



