INHABITANTS, VEGETATION, CLIMATE. 



very expensive ; a man being rated at four annas a day, a woman at 

 three, and a boy at two. I should add, that they have no caste. 



The climate is certainly very cool and cold, the thermometer 

 ranging from about 56° to 66° in-doors at this time of the year. 

 The rains are said to be the coldest part of the year ; they are excessive, 

 commencing in April and ceasing in October. It occasionally rains 

 for fifteen or sixteen days in succession, and without intermission ; 

 and nine or ten inches have been known to fall in twenty-four hours. 

 Since we have been here, inclusive of this, we have had four days 

 of wet weather, of which three were continued rain. Both were 

 ushered in by the sudden irruption of heavy mists from below, which 

 soon spread over the country, obscuring every thing. These sudden 

 irruptions occur during the partial breaking up of the rain, during 

 which time the valleys are completely choked up with dense mists, 

 the summits of the hills on the opposite side to that on which one 

 stands being alone visible. After the rains were over, in the first 

 instance, the plains, or rather the mass of haze hanging over them, 

 presented a most curious spectacle. 



The coldest weather we have yet experienced was at Maamloo, on 

 the 27th, the thermometer at 8 p.m. being at 52°. This is remark- 

 able, as Maamloo is rather below Churra. There is however a good 

 deal of wood round the place.* 



With regard to Botany, the chief vegetation about Churra, as in- 

 deed is at once indicated by the appearance of the country, consists 

 of grasses. Along the water- courses, which intersect this portion of 

 the country, Bucklandia populnea, a species of Ternstraemia, Panda- 

 nus, Eugenia, Camellia, are found ; while Composite, Eriocaulon, and 

 ferns abound in the same places. The vegetation of the valleys is 

 very rich and very varied ; and, an affinity is indicated with the bo- 

 tany of China by the existence of a species of Illicum, I. khascanam, 

 and several Terustraemiacese. The great orders are grasses, ferns, 

 composite. During a trip to Maamloo, a beautifully situated village 

 on the brink of the table -land, we discovered abundance of the tree- 

 fern Alsophila Brunoniana, the highest of which measured 25 feet. 

 The appearance of the tree is that of a palm. The flora surrounding 

 these tree-ferns we found to be exceedingly rich. Among Nepal 

 ferns, I may mention Anisadenia, Saxifraga ligulata. 



Interior of the Khasyah Mountains. — On the 2nd, we left for 

 Surureem ; at which place we halted a day. Bucklandia here occurs, 

 * It is also on a northern declivity. 



