192 



THE LALUNG OR NORTHERN KHASYAH RANGES. 



Onswye is a small village, seated on a low hill, and entirely hidden 

 by trees : the access to it is pretty. Its elevation is 1,632 feet, tem- 

 perature 63°. Water boils at 98f ° of centigrade, small ther. 202^°, 

 big ditto 208f°, wooden ditto 210°: taking 209° as the mean. 



It is a Lalung village. These people have distinct habits and 

 language from their neighbours : their dress is like that of the 

 Khasyahs. They approach to Hindoos in not eating cows. They 

 inhabit the lower northern ranges of these hills, but do not extend 

 further east, nor into the plains at the foot, and are far less civilized 

 than the Khasyahs. 



They have religious houses or places of worship, deo-ghurs, in one 

 of which I slept, having it first cleansed, and the deity appeased by 

 some most villanous music, and a procession of men with knives. 



At this village Carica, Ficus elastica, Ficus cordifolius, Ricinus, 

 Artocarpus intigrifol, Tamarind, Guava, Musa, Solanum Melongena, 

 tobacco, etc., are cultivated. 



Caryophyllea scandens, Desmochseta, Plumbago, Plectranthus az- 

 ureus, Phlebochiton, Cassia tora, Orthopogon, Adhatoda, Mangifera, 

 Croton malvaefol, Hastingsia, Torenia asiatica, Caricinea, Leea, Pru- 

 nus ! Congea ! Antidesma, Rottleria, Clerodendron nutans, Calamus, 

 Xanthochymus. Mesua ferrea, Garcinia Cowa, Leea arbuscula, Dal- 

 housia, Roxburghia, are found on the ascent which is moderate and 

 pretty. 



The heavy tree or bamboo jungle does not begin until you attain 

 12 or 1,500 feet, up to that, the ridges present the former grasses. 

 Rottboellia, Andropogons, Erianthus, Saccharum, Anthistiria, and the 

 trees are scattered consisting of Arborescent Leguminosse, Sterculia, 

 Cedrela, Semicarpus continues to the tree jungle, but rarely. 



The road to the village runs through heavy woods, the plants form- 

 ing which I have already mentioned, it is in good order. The village 

 is a Lalung one. 



At Dullagong, which is situated in the plains of Assam, at the foot 

 of the range the temperature being 66°, 8J- a. m., water boiled 

 at 211^ ° in the large thermometer. 100 centigrade, and above the 

 boiling point in the wooden. 205j° in the small metal thermometer. 



Between this and Goba, the path is generally through grass or tree 

 jungle. I noticed Exacum, Careya, Butea arborea, Ficus, Cinchona, 

 Kydia, Saccharum Megala fuscum masus, Spathodea, Alstonia, Bom- 

 bax, Semicarpus ! JEgie Marmelos, Emblica, Panax, Elephantopus, 

 and Lagerstrsemia Reginse succeeds about Goba : and between this 



