436 Notes, chiefly Botanical, made during an [May, 



and inserts the proboscis deeply without pain. Buried head and 

 shoulders, and retained by a barbed lancet, it is only to be extracted by 

 main force, which is very painful. I have devised many tortures, me- 

 chanical and chemical, to induce these disgusting intruders to withdraw 

 the proboscis, but in vain. 



Leeches* swarm at below 7000 feet, a small black species above 

 3000, a large yellow brown solitary one below that. They are trouble- 

 some, but cause no irritation. In August and September these absolutely 

 swarm, and are no less troublesome to man than to the feet of poneys. 



The rain continuing heavily, we rested the men by some large pools 

 on the flat. A small Lobelia, Chrysosjplenium, Procris, and Callitriche, 

 formed a sward on the banks, amongst which some Ranunculus grew 

 (Biffusus, Wall, and a similar species) a large and handsome Carex, 

 flourished in the water. 



Ranunculus, though so common a genus literally almost everywhere 

 else, is extremely scarce in the temperate and tropical zone of the Sik- 

 kim Himalaya ; R. scelevatusf abounds in the plains close to the foot of 

 the hills, but between that elevation and 10,000 feet, I have nowhere 

 seen this or another species. Here and probably elsewhere in the Hi- 

 malaya, the genus is very rare in this zone, though perhaps more 

 abundant in the Asiatic zone above. 



CrucifercB is another natural order very frequent in the temperate 

 and mountainous regions of all the world, except the Himalaya. A 

 variety of Cardanime hirsuta ? is absolutely the only plant of this 

 order, occurring wild between the plains of India and the summit of 

 Tonglo. 



* I cannot but think that the extraordinary abundance of these Annelides in all 

 the grazing ground of Sikkim, may cause the death of many animals. Some marked 

 murrains have followed very wet seasons when the leeches swarm more than ever, 

 and the disease in the cattle described to me by the Lepchas as in the stomach, in no 

 way differs from what leeches would produce. It is a well known fact that these 

 creatures have lived for days in the fauces, nares and stomachs of the human subject* 

 causing dreadful sufferings, and death in the latter case. I have seen the cattle 

 feeding where the leeches so abounded, that 50 or 60 were frequently together on 

 my ancles. 



f I never could satisfy myself that this most abundant gangetic plant was truly 

 wild in India. The natives have no name for it ; it especially swarms in fields of 

 wheat, flax, mustard, &c. and along the borders of greater and smaller rivers, near 

 or below cultivated spots. 



