1848.] The Turaee and Outer Mountains of Kumaoon, 597 



accommodations ; the people of Shor are also peculiarly skilful in the 

 manufacture of mats, chiks, baskets, &c, from the Nigala Bamboo, 

 which grows copiously on Thakil. 



The Thakil mountain is an enormous mass, perhaps not less than 

 sixty miles in circuit at the base, and, towards the summits, affording 

 ample scope, at good levels, for extended roads and paths. Each of the 

 summits sends down a huge buttress to the S, E. between which lies 

 a broad, undulating valley, with Burabagh village on its north side. 

 Still lower, in the district called Goomdes, is the confluence of the 

 Surjoo and Kalee at Puchesur, a spot sacred indeed, and celebrated 

 amongst fishermen for its Muhaseer, but so hot and narrow as to be 

 uninhabitable. To the west, the main range is continued towards 

 Goong, in another great spur, expanded near its origin, into broad 

 wooded knolls, and then changing into a very narrow rocky ridge, with 

 grassy, but extremely steep shelves to the south. This stretches to 

 Kunthagaon, but above Goong is broken by a deep neck, the Lutkhola 

 Binaik, the upper flank of which turned out so steep as on the 21st to 

 force us down on Goong by a secondary ridge, itself sufficiently steep, and 

 slippery from the dry grass and pine-leaves, to ensure repeated falls. 



The haze which now shrouded Kumaoon barely enabled me to judge 

 what the view from the Thakil must be with a transparent atmosphere ; 

 even the natives, not often enthusiastic on this point, speak of it with 

 admiration, and tell how, in the rains, it includes a mighty expanse of the 

 Rohilkhund plains, with all the exterior, the central, and the culminat- 

 ing ranges of the multitudinous Himalaya, seen from this Mercury station 

 with all the advantage and pride that a General reviews his long line or 

 massive columns of holy bayonets, glittering sabres, and clouded artillery. 



The Thakil crags and forests are a favorite haunt of the wild 

 Boar, Bear, Ghorul, Jurao, Kakur, also known as Butwa, and other 

 deer. The wild dog pays the mountain occasional visits, and has been 

 seen by Major Drummond forming a regular semicircle about its prey, 

 a female Jurao with her young ; and, on an evidently concerted and 

 well understood signal, starting after them in full cry. Amongst the 

 oak woods I noticed flocks of a large pigeon much resembling in size 

 and color the English woodquest ; they are called Bujewa and Lekh- 

 wal, and appear to be the Columba Palumbus of Dr. McClelland ; the 

 wings are of a slate color, barred with white : the breast, purple or 



4 p 2 



