1852.] A Journey through Sikim. 481 



houses are built of stone without any mud or mortar, are of one 

 story roofed with shingles, and of one apartment only : some of them 

 are plaistered with mud, and all have a wooden door and shutter win- 

 dows, which were tied up and sealed, as at Lamteng, the people being 

 absent with the cattle, and not a soul left behind to watch the houses. 



From Talom Samdong up the valley and bearing north-west, we 

 had a fine view of the Chomiomo mountain : it is a magnificent mass of 

 pure snow, the crest of a hog-backed shape with three sharp-pointed 

 spikes, or small peaks rising out of it, and to the east up a deep 

 gorge like valley the snowed peaks of " Milah" or " Minglah" came 

 in sight. These peaks Hooker tells me are also seen from the La- 

 choong valley, and are to the south of " Momay Samdong." 



The vegetation during this march has undergone a great change. 

 Near the last camp we had fine pines, larches, tree junipers, large 

 birch and willow trees, the large red and white rose, and many of 

 Hooker's new species of trees, rhododendrons, mixed with 3 or 4 kinds 

 of red fruited barberries — the barberry at Darjeeling is a damson 

 blue — a very handsome thistle and gigantic hemlock extending to 

 the river edge. The Tendook poison plant, Aconitum palmatum or 

 ferox, is very common along this march. 



After passing " Yatung" four miles below Tungu the trees become 

 somewhat stunted, and here we came upon quantities of red currants — 

 the first I have seen in Sikim — the Faloo and Tsuloo, dwarf rhododen- 

 dron, mountain ashes, and dwarfed willows. The red currant — cal- 

 led kewdemah — is a beautiful large smooth-skinned berry in large 

 bunches ; but bitter as well as very acid. The Faloo and Tsuloo rho- 

 dodendrons are strongly and sickly scented plants, which cover large 

 spaces of the mountain sides in this direction. The other species of 

 rhododendrons are extensively diffused, covering whole mountain sides 

 in many places principally in east and west exposures. The south 

 wind in this valley at its upper part especially is strong and constant 

 during the day. At night a piercing wind set down the valley from 

 the north. The autumnal tints of the foliage are now becoming well 

 marked, and the dark green of the junipers and webbiana pines con- 

 trasts vividly with the lighter green of some of the rhododendrons, 

 and the yellow and scarlet tints of maples and barberries. No culti- 

 vation at Tungu. Herds of yaks are browsing on the steep grassy 



