322 JYNTEA HILLS. Chap. XXX. 



dry grassy hills which it inhabits are elevated 3000 

 to 4000 feet : the trees are small, gnarled, and very 

 sparingly leafy, so that the Van da which grows on their 

 limbs is fully exposed to sun, rain, and wind. There is no 

 moss or lichen on the branches with the Van da, whose 

 roots sprawl over the dry rough bark. The atmosphere is 

 on the whole humid, and extremely so during the rains ; 

 but there is no damp heat, or stagnation of the air, and at 

 the flowering season the temperature ranges between 60° 

 and 80°, there is much sunshine, and both air and bark 

 are dry daring the day : in July and August, during the 

 rains, the temperature is a little higher than above, but 

 in winter it falls much lower, and hoar-frost forms on the 

 ground. Now this winter's cold, summer's heat, and 

 autumn's drought, and above all, this constant free exposure 

 to fresh air and the winds of heaven, are what of all things 

 we avoid exposing our orchids to in England. It is 

 under these conditions, however, that all the finer Indian 

 OrcJiidece grow, of which we found Dendrobimn Farmeri, 

 Dalhousiamim, Dcvonianum, &c, with Vanda ccendca; whilst 

 the most beautiful species of Cwlogyne, Cymbidium, 

 Bolbophyttum, and Cypripedium, inhabit cool climates at 

 elevations above 4000 feet in Khasia, and as high as 

 6000 to 7000 in Sikkim. 



On the following day we turned out our Vanda to dress 

 the specimens for travelling, and preserve the flowers for 

 botanical purposes. Of the latter we had 3G0 panicles, 

 each composed of from six to twenty-one broad pale-blue 



at Kew; but owing to unavoidable accidents and difficulties, few specimens reacted 

 England alive. A gentleman who sent bis gardener with us to be shown the 

 locality, was more successful : he sent one man's load to England on commission, 

 and though it arrived in a very poor state, it sold for 300Z., the individual plants 

 fetching prices varying from 3Z. to 10Z. Had .all arrived alive, they would have 

 cleared 1000Z. An active collector, with the facilities I possessed, might easily 

 clear from 2000Z. to 3000?., in one season, by the sale of Khasia orchids. 



