MEINKHOON. 



77 



March 25th. — Meinkhoon is situated on a very small nullah, the 

 Eedeekha. The village which is large and well stockaded, is divided 

 into two by this nullah. The population of both cannot, including 

 children, be less than 200. They belong to the Meerep tribe. The 

 women wear the putsoe somewhat like those of Burma, which seems to 

 me quite new in Singpho women ; and is not the fashion with those 

 in Assam. To the S. W. there is a group of somewhat decayed Shan 

 Pagodas, and a Poonghie house, around which are planted mango 

 trees and a beautiful arboreous Bauhinia, B. rhododendriflora mihi, 

 ovariis binis ! Around the village is an extensive plain, and to the 

 S. E. one or two more Pagodas. This Bauhinia has flowers \\ 

 inches across, calyx spathaceus, petalis, sub-conformibus, obovatis, 

 repandis lsete purpureis, vexillo coccineo-purpureo, colore satu- 

 rate venoso, carina? petalis distantibus, odor Copaivse ! Stam. 5 

 declinata, cum petalis, alternantia. Ovaria 2 ! anticum posticumque, 

 longe stipetata, difformia superiore minore, aborticate, ambobus 

 vexillo oppositis ! Stylus ruber pallide ; stigma capitatum. One 

 B. variegata, W. Roxb. Fl. Indie, vol. ii. p. 319, quamvis auctor 

 de ovario antico silet. 



Two snakes were captured, approaching in shape to the green 

 snake of the Coromandel Coast. Under surface throughout bright 

 gamboge colour ; upper surface throughout, excepting about a span 

 or less of the back of the neck, bright ochraceous brown. The 

 space above alluded to is in one faintly, in the other strongly 

 variegated with black and white. Irides, gamboge-coloured. 



March 26th. — Visited the amber mines, which are situated on 

 a range of low hills, perhaps 150 feet above the plain of Meinkhoon, 

 from which they bear S. W. The distance of the pits now worked 

 is about six miles, of which three are passed in traversing the plain, 

 and three in the low hills which it is requisite to cross. These are 

 thickly covered with tree jungle. The first pits, which are old, 

 occur about one mile within the hills. Those now worked occupy 

 the brow of a low hill, and on this spot they are very numerous ; 

 the pits are square, about four feet in diameter, and of very variable 

 depth ; steps, or rather holes, are cut in two of the faces of the 

 square by which the workmen ascend and descend. The instru- 

 ments used are wooden-lipped with iron crowbars, by which the soil 

 is displaced ; this answers but very imperfectly for a pickaxe : small 

 wooden shovels, baskets for carrying up the soil, &c, buckets of 

 bark to draw up the water, bamboos, the base of the rhizoma 



