186 



KHASYAH MOUNTAINS 



Nungtung is a small village not containing more then 12 houses ; 

 these are on michaowns,* and are built entirely of bamboos. The 

 doors of curious construction, consisting of bamboos strung longitudi- 

 nally over a transverse one, so that they can be only opened by pushing 

 on one side. The pigs have similar doors to their houses and 

 appear well acquainted with the mode of ingress and egress. 



Tobacco nourishes here. Here also I saw Sesamum and Ricinus, 

 sure signs of increasing temperature, Labiata edulis. The first part 

 of the march lay through an oak and chesnut wood ; then through 

 the valley which is under rice cultivation ; then through part of an 

 oak and fir wood ; I then turned off to NNE. traversing undu- 

 lated hills entirely covered with grass ; here and there an oak and 

 chesnut wood occurred; this continued until 1 p. m., when the path 

 joined the great road as it is called, but which is nearly as bad as the 

 Nungtung one. The marching was very disagreeable, owing to the 

 path being choked up with grass, particularly in the swampy valley 

 just before Onkreem. In this valley wild elephants were first seen. 



After leaving the halting or resting place under a large oak (Q. 

 castaneoides) at Onkreem, the path improved and is only rendered 

 bad by the swarms of elephants, by which animals we were disturbed 

 twice; it continued until 6 p. m., over undulated ground becoming 

 lower and lower until we arrived at the large valley of Onswye, 

 which is even now at this advanced period of the season, the middle 

 of November, considerably swampy. 



Oaks and chesnuts continued, but pines ceased about half way 

 between Onkreem and Onswye. 



* Raised on posts. 



