1853.] Notes upon a Tour in the Sikkim Himalayah Mountains. 565 



the leeches are roused and they spring up from under every leaf, 

 from under every stone, and after two or more human beings have 

 passed, the leeches are seen hurrying towards the path from the 

 neighbouring bushes as far as eight and ten feet distant. When 

 they reach the foot path they stand up perfectly rigid and quite 

 ready to grasp the first foot that falls near them. A stranger would 

 mistake the rigid little black things in the path for twigs or small 

 pieces of wood. The person leading the line seldom gets bitten, the 

 animals not being roused. During heavy rain, frost or bright sun- 

 shine the leeches do not appear ; a cloudy or a moderately showery 

 day is their liveliest time. 



During the march, our guide took us off the road up a very steep 

 bank to inspect a collection of wild bee-hives. After much scrambling 

 and by the assistance of hooked sticks that were hooked on to the 

 roots of the trees overhead, we managed to reach a narrow ledge 

 with a deep valley in front of us. Immediately on our left and sepa- 

 rated from us by a deep chasm, was a perpendicular wall of rock, 

 over which a fine waterfall was pouring its full stream ; almost 

 within the reach of the water was a cave formed by an overhanging 

 rock, from the roof of which depended twenty flat and black looking 

 combs, three feet in length, covered with innumerable bees busy 

 manufacturing their honey, while thousands were on the wing going 

 and coming. The sight of these insects, only a few feet removed from 

 where we stood, made me shudder ; as it painfully brought to my 

 mind a mad race, I was once made to run for miles down hill after 

 having inadvertently disturbed a nest of these pugnacious little 

 creatures. Besides being covered both on the head and hands with 

 wounds, I had upon that occasion twenty-four stings removed from 

 merely round my eyes. I therefore hastily made a sketch of the 

 curious group, and descended from the ledge as fast as possible. 

 These bee-hives are the property of the Sikkim Eajah ; the wax is 

 taken once a year by smoking the bees out, and yields him a revenue 

 of ninety rupees per annum. The honey is eaten by the wax collec- 

 tor or thrown away. 



8th August, 1852. — An hour and a half of sharp climbing carried 

 us to the summit of Singaleelah* where the Tumbok Pass leads 

 * Means u Birch tree." 



