1848.] Observations made on a Botanical Excursion. 373 



A water-beetle, Colymbetes? and Notonecta, abounded in water at 

 112°, with quantities of dead shells; frogs were very lively with live 

 shells, at 90°, with various water beetles. Having no means of detect- 

 ing the salts of this water, I bottled some for future analysis. The 

 situation of these springs (called Soorooeh-kand) is very pretty, near 

 the mouth of a valley. They are objects of worship of course, and a 

 ruined temple is seen close behind, with three very conspicuous trees, 

 a white thick stemmed and leafless Sterculia, whose ramuli bore dense 

 clusters of greenish red, fetid and viscid flowers ; — a Peepul and a 

 Banyan. 



On the following day I botanized in the neighbourhood with but 

 poor success ; an oblique-leaved Ficus climbs the other species and 

 generally strangles them. Two other epiphytial Orchidece occurred on 

 the trees besides the one previously alluded to, an Angrcecum and 

 Oberonia. Cuscutce of two species swarm over and conceal the bushes 

 with their yellow filaments, especially choking the Vitex Negundo ? 

 Mucuna is common, and a most disagreeable intruder, the cowitch of its 

 pod flying about with the wind and causing intolerable irritation. 



February 8th. — Left Lieut. Beadle's early, following Williams' camp. 

 The morning was clear and cold, the temperature only 56° ; crossed the 

 nearly empty broad bed of the Burkutta river, a noble stream in the 

 rains, carrying along huge boulders of granite and gneiss. — Still ascend- 

 ing, measured the highest part of the road, 1492 feet, and suddenly 

 came on a small forest of a peculiar looking tree, quite new to me. 

 This proved to be the Indian Olibanum, Boswellia thurifera, conspicu- 

 ous for its pale bark, and patent curving branches, leafy at the apices. 

 Its general appearance is a good deal that of the mountain Ash ; and 

 the leaves, now copiously falling, and red in age, were actually reddening 

 the ground. The gum was flowing abundantly from the trunk, very 

 fragrant, clear and transparent. Many of the trees were cut down and 

 had pushed leafy ramuli in great abundance from the stumps. The 

 ground was dry and rocky with little other vegetation, no Orchidece 

 grew on the trees, and but little grass under foot. Kunkar here re- 

 appears in the alluvium. Another Fhcenix occurred here, similar to, but 

 different from the Parus Nath species, probably Facaulis ; it is wholly 

 stemless, and I saw male flowers only. 



Suddenly descending to the village of Burshoot, lost sight of the 



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