94 Trip to the Bulcha and Oonta Dhoora Passes. [No. 134. 



to my delight bagged two burral (my first) by seven o'clock. Re- 

 turning, I saw a brace of snow pheasants, but could not get near them. 

 These birds in a mild season must be difficult to kill. They shew 

 some white along the wings in flying, are of a good size, and have a me- 

 lancholy sort of note, which they continue at intervals nearly all day. 

 I got back to Lufkhel at lOh. 30m. much fatigued. Ther. in tent 87° ; 

 at llh. 45m. 88°; and 90 D at half-past 12; after which it became 

 rapidly cooler. My success with the burral this morning was doubly 

 fortunate, as it convinced the Lama I had really come for shooting, 

 and enabled me to propitiate himself and people by the present of half 

 of one of the burral^ which highly delighted them. The Lama foretold 

 I should have success in the morning, and was hugely pleased to see 

 through a small pocket telescope he has, that I had been successful, as 

 I descended the opposite hill in returning. Both burral were females, 

 and had consequently only small horns. The second killed was, I fan- 

 cy, fully above the average size, and measured as follows : — 



Ft. In. 



Height from hoof to centre of shoulders, 2 10 



Length from nose to insertion of tail, 4 1^ 



Girth behind fore legs, 3 1J 



Color light brown, and nearly white on the belly. Dark brown stripes 

 down the front of the legs. Hair, something between hair and quills, 

 like what I fancy the softer parts of a porcupine's covering. May 

 be weight about 1^ maund, just as much as a strong man could 

 carry after the entrails were taken out. But in October, when they 

 are fat, probably some of the large males would weigh 21, or nearly 

 three maunds. 



Plenty of salagrams at Lufkhel ; maunds could be collected in a day. 

 I should have mentioned that the Lama requested me to take some of 

 his tea this morning. I agreed, and it was served in a quaint copper 

 tea-pot, exactly like an old fashioned coffee-pot. I drank about 

 a pint of the decoction, which was chocolate colored, rather greasy, 

 and of by no means bad flavour, though it had a peculiar twang which 

 I can liken to nothing I remember to have tasted. The soda mixed 

 with the tea is said to color it like brickdust or chocolate. When to 

 be had, both sugar and milk are used with their tea, but this had 

 neither. One of the Lama's men was amusing himself by slinging 



