1837.] Journal of a Trip to the Burenda Pass in 1836. 909 



kept in confinement the bill, from wanting the friction caused by 

 digging in the ground, becomes very long and hooked. 



One of the party here shot a solitary snipe in a small patch of 

 boggy ground near the camp. It is identical with that described by 

 Mr. Hodgson as the galinago solitaria of Nepal. 



After breakfast on the 29th we started over very hilly ground and 

 narrow broken paths, guided by the shikaris of the party, and made 

 a short march to a nameless place in the forest, on the side of a hill. 

 No village being near us, we were obliged to bring on supplies from 

 the last halting ground. Wild iris again abundant. 



To-day some monauls and a young musk deer were shot. It has 

 often been said that the musk deer is not eatable on account of the 

 strong flavour of musk imparted to the flesh. We had the young deer 

 dressed and all pronounced it to be excellent, and in my opinion, far 

 surpassing any venison I have tasted in India. 



The young deer has no musk bag and therefore cannot be offensive, 

 and the same must apply to the female, who is also destitute of the 

 musk. An old male may very possibly be bad eating, but so I sus- 

 pect would be an old he-goat ! ! 



On the 30th we marched up very steep and rocky ground, breakfast- 

 ing at the edge of a wood and afterwards pushing on again over 

 narrow paths, sometimes affording barely sufficient room for our feet. 

 One of our party unfortunately fell and cut his knee, in consequence 

 of which he came on very slowly, and complained much of pain. 

 This day we encamped at a village called Shurmallee. 

 Chicores and college pheasants were abundant here. Supplies of 

 grain, ghee and milk procurable. We saw here among the trees, 

 large flocks of the beautiful scarlet flycatcher and its yellow female, 

 (muscipeta flammeaj as also the nutcracker crow. 



Both of these birds are common at certain seasons at Simla, Mahds- 

 sti and other places in the interior. I saw also at this place a fine 

 hill fox. 



There is a quarry of very good clay slate at this place, with which 

 the houses in the village are roofed. Supplies of grain are by no 

 means scarce among the villages on this route, and so far from being 

 inconvenienced by the demands of our servants and coolies, as we had 

 been led to expect, they have sufficient to trade upon and send grain 

 of different kinds to Rampur and other places. The country is well 

 cultivated and judging from the appearance of the crops, and the healthy 

 and well clad natives in the villages, the produce must be plentiful. 

 5 z 



