DESCENDS ACRID PLANTS. 



47 



present of kanee (opium), I succeeded in getting the arborescent 

 vitex, which is the most striking tree of all when in flower. Lost 

 sight altogether of Bucklandia, nor did I observe Sedgwickia. Ga- 

 thered at the foot of Thuma-thaya a Caelogyne in flower, allied to C. 

 Gardneriana ; Alsophila is common towards the base. 



In the evening the Yen Gam came up according to his promise with 

 the gigantic Palm, with male inflorescence, it is a Caryota ; he likewise 

 brought Sarcocordalis, Rafnesiacea, and a curious pubescent Piper. 

 He also added the female flowers of another Palm, which, according 

 to him, is another species of Sawar, or Caryota : the inflorescence is 

 of an orange yellow. A tree with the habit of Pterospermum occurs 

 on Thuma-thaya, low down Habenaria uniflora on rocks in the 

 Dirsoo Panee, or river ; Kydia occurs about Yen, but not higher. 



Nov. 29th. — Reached Laee Panee after a march of five hours ; and 

 without Assamese coolies, it might be done in three. I noticed be- 

 low Deeling, but still at a considerable elevation, Crawfurdia cam- 

 panu lacea, Adamea, Engelhardtia, Vitex speciosa, and Magnolia 

 in the order in which they are thus given, Quercus, cupulis echina- 

 tis occurs comparatively low down, Castanea ferox still lower, Dra- 

 caena comes into view towards the base. At the village first reached 

 in the ascent there is a Meliaceous Azedarach looking tree. 



At our old halting place, and which is near Deeling, another 

 Ahum-metta Ghas was shewn me. This attains, I am told, a 

 large size : it is not very unlike in habit a Melanorrhaea, and its 

 young leaves are tinged with red, the mature ones are coriaceous, 

 I have not seen it in flower ; the juice, at least from small branches, 

 is not very abundant, and at first is of a whitish colour ; it 

 is, on dit, after drying that it assumes the black tint ; at any rate 

 it is excessively acrid, for one of my servants who cut it incau- 

 tiously, had his face spoilt for a time : the swelling even after four 

 days had elapsed was considerable. With this as well as the Rhus 

 they dye the strings of the simple fibres of Sawar, which they all 

 wear below the knee : if not properly dried these strings cause some 

 inflammation : the strings are ornamental, light, and when worn in 

 small numbers graceful, but when dozens are employed, and all the 

 upper ones loose, they deform the figure much ; some of the women, 

 perhaps anxious to restrain the protuberance of their calves, tie two 

 or three lightly across the calf. 



At Nohun, near Deeling, Cocoloba aculeata baccis cyaneis occurs 

 here the same as at Mumbree in the Cossiya hills, and at Suddiya. 



