1848.] Observations made on a Botanical Excursion, 395 



February 20th. — From Tura we have again to cross our little army- 

 over the Soane, the Kymaon cliff approaching too near the river on this 

 (W.) side, to allow of our passing along their base. 



The river bed is very sandy, and about 1^ mile across (apparently). I 

 found the male Vallisneria flowers after a great search ; it is impossible 

 to distinguish them from the gnat's eggs, with which the pools swarm. 



The stream was very narrow, but deep and rapid, obstructed with 

 beds of coarse agate, jasper and chalcedony pebbles. A clumsy boat, 

 here took us across to the village of Dumersolah (or Soanpore) a 

 wretched collection of hovels. The crops thin and poor, and no palms 

 or good trees. Squirrels however abounded, and were busy storing ; 

 descending from the trees they scoured across a road to a field of tares, 

 mounted the hedge, took an observation, foraged and returned up the 

 tree with their booty, quickly descended and repeated the operation of 

 reconnoitering and plundering. 



The bed of the river here is considerably above that at Dearee, 

 where the mean of the observations with those of Barroon made it 

 about 300 it. The mean of these taken here and on the opposite side, 

 at Tura, gives about 420 feet, indicating a fall of 120 feet in only 40 

 miles. Near this the sandy banks of the Soane are full of martins' 

 nests, each one containing a pair of eggs. The deserted ones are 

 literally crammed full of long-legged spiders, (Phalangium) which may 

 be raked out with a stick and come pouring down the cliff like corn 

 from a sack ; the quantities are quite inconceiveable. I did not observe 

 the martin feed on them. 



The entomology here resembled that of Europe, more than I had 

 expected in a tropical country, where predacious beetles, at least Cara- 

 bildece and Staphylinidece are generally considered rare. 



The latter tribes here swarmed under the clods, of many species too, 

 but all small, and so singularly active that I could not give the time to 

 collect well. In the banks again, the round egg-like earthy chrysalis 

 of the Sphinx Atropos ? and the many-celled nidus of the leaf-cutter 

 bee were most common. 



A large Euphorbia (E. ligulata ?) is common all along the Soane and 

 used every where (since leaving Dunwah) for fencing. I have not seen 

 the E. Indica ; and the E. tereticaulis very rarely since leaving Cal- 

 cutta. The Cactus is nowhere here. 



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