206 



BOOTAN. 



and caught a long thin Bola,* beautifully banded with purplish-blue. 

 The Bookhars as usual take a fly well, especially red hackles ; the larg- 

 est was caught by Blake, and must have weighed nearly three pounds. 



Very little worth noticing occurred in the vegetation. Sedg- 

 weckia is common and of very large size, 2,400 feet above the river, 

 as well as tree ferns. 



Equisetum occurs in the bed of the river ; in some places at the 

 same level a species of Ranunculus, Aroidea, Succulent Urticese 

 were common ; along the edges or in the small churs, that have 

 established themselves here and there, and which are covered with 

 the usual Sacchara, but of smaller size ; Erythrina, Leptospartion, 

 Sambucus, Bcehmeria tomentosa, Kydia calycina, Grislea, Tupistra, 

 Leea occurred, Ficus elastica is not uncommon, one specimen pre- 

 sented itself, which had sprung up on another tree, fifty feet from 

 the ground ; this it had destroyed, and the appearance was singular 

 enough. 



The juice is used for water-proofing bamboo vessels. The gene- 

 ral rocks are slate, and this was the only one we saw in sitti ; the 

 vegetation is rather barren. 



Near the bed of this river, which is called the Deo Panee, I found 

 a curious Menispermous genus, Columnea, Clypeae perianthia uncia- 

 lata, ore integeriuscula, a Myrtacea, Uncaria, Abroma augusta, etc. 



On ascending, Murraya exotica, Magnoliaceae, Paederia faetida, and 

 Bignonia, occurred at low elevations, Lobelia baccata, Wulfenia obli- 

 qua, Costus, Chloranthus, Justicea orchidiflora below 600 feet, Eurya 

 occurred scarcely below 1,800 feet with Millingtonia simplicifolia. 



The cattle here are really noble, particularly the bulls ; they are 

 much like the Mishmee Methuns, but are distinct,f they are very 

 quiet. 



January 23rd. — Left at twelve, and arrived late at Rydang on a 

 nullah, distant eight miles. Passed no villages, but passed a bridge 

 erecting over the Deo Nuddee, at which place a Lam Gooroo or 

 high Priest was employed : vegetation continued the same, and only 

 two new plants occurred, a Stemodia with large yellow flowers, and 

 a Begonia, with branched stems. Rydang is, 2,404 feet, above the sea 

 (55.208£.) 



January 24th. — Started early in the morning, (at 8 a. m.) the 

 coolies mostly leaving at daylight. Yet although the distance was 



* Opsarius gracilus, As. Res. vol. xix. 

 f See p. 35. 



