46 ZKMU VALLEY. Chap. XIX. 



white primroses, white-flowered Thalictrum and Anemone, 

 berberry, Podophyllum, white rose, fritillary, Lloydia, &c. 

 On the flanks of Tukcham, in the bed of a torrent, I gathered 

 many very alpine plants, at the comparatively low elevation of 

 10,000 feet, as dwarf willows, Pinguecula, (a genus not 

 previously found in the Himalaya), Oxyria, Androsace, 

 Tofieldia, Arenaria, saxifrages, and two dwarf heath-like 

 Andromedas* The rocks were all of gneiss, with granite 

 veins, tourmaline, and occasionally pieces of pure plumbago. 

 Our guide had remained at Lamteng, on the plea of a 

 sore on his leg from leech-bites : his real object, however, 

 was to stop a party on their way to Tibet with madder 

 and canes, who, had they continued their journey, would 

 inevitably have pointed out the road to me. The villagers 

 themselves now wanted to proceed to the pasturing-grounds 

 on the frontier ; so the Phipun sent me word that I might 

 proceed as far as I liked up the east bank of the Zemu. I 

 had explored the path, and finding it practicable, and 

 likely to intersect a less frequented route to the frontier 

 (that crossing the Tekonglah pass from Bah, see p. 13), I 

 determined to follow it. A supply of food arrived from Dor- 

 jiling on the 5th of June, reduced, however, to one bag of 

 rice, but with encouraging letters, and the assurance that 

 more would follow at once. My men, of whom I had 

 eight, behaved admirably, although our diet had for five 

 days chiefly consisted of Polygonum (" Pullop-bi "), wild 



* Besides these, a month later, the following flowered in profusion : scarlet 

 Baddleial gigantic lily, yellow jasmine, Aster, Potentilla, several kinds of orchids, 

 willow-herb (Epilobium), purple Roscoea, Neillia, Morina, many grasses and Umbel - 

 liferce. These formed a rank and dense herbaceous, mostly annual vegetation, 

 six feet high, bound together with Cuscuta, climbing Leguminosce, and Ceropegia. 

 The great summer heat and moisture here favour the ascent of various tropical 

 genera, of which I found in August several Orchidcce (Calanthe, Micros-tylis, and 

 Ctelogyne), also Begonia, Bryonia, Cynavchum, AristoJochia, Eurya, Procris, Aran- 

 lhaccce, and Cyrtandracece. 



