during Dr. Hooker's visit. The Tankra La is south of 



the summit of 



Tankra mountain, to the east is a long rocky ridge clefi 



• by tli,- minor 







large shallow basin with undulating surface, throu-h a 





headwaters of the Tankra river. Those on the nortl 





many points under .-now fields, that on the south-east i 





pass mid is immediately lost in the great central morain 



e. reappearing 



at its lower end as a large and swiftly flowing torrent 



. It i, joined 



near the Kanko La by the united streams from Tankra; 



after effecting 







narrow defile <>l ih. \ ~. vl l.:i-i.'i.~- precipitately duwin 



van Is for some 







village of that name. From the Kanko spur to the lim 



it of pines at 



13,0: )>) feet .the valley is broad and shallow: here :i -uJdenly narrows 

 and remains so to its termination. During the week I spent on this 

 excursion, the weather was uniformly boisterous and wei,whiii those 

 of my party who remained below at Lachung inserted that they had 



The fragrant spikenard, Xanloxtticfti/s Jdttuitaimi, i- plentiful on 

 Tankra, and the serophularineuiis plant. Picmrhizd Kxrrooa, in- 

 tensely bitter when ciiewed, is abundant about 14,000 \\-vt, and i- held 

 in much repute as a febrifuge and tonic. The only woody plan! above 

 15,000 feet is tb paucifiora. 



I returned to Lachung, where I halted for a <veek to dry the 

 numerous specimens collected during the excursion to Tankra La, and 

 also to make preparati. us for a journey to the Donkia Pass at the head 

 of the Lachung valley, and the most northern point I could reach 

 in Sikkim. 



We started en the 13th August, and arrived at Veumtong the same 



- hicB -e travelled. On the western slopes they were 



scattered, ■ n the ea-t they grew down to the verge < f ihe *tream, and 



Tibetans made use of this unpromising plant as food ; 



saw many tailli >s rats, but 1 was prevented from j 



by my desire to i.-speet the superstitious notions < 



f WaS 1 ■ ■ ith every app. 



