KHEGUMPA. 



211 



January 25th. — Khegumpa. This is a pretty place ; but the whole 

 country has a wintery appearance from the trees having mostly 

 deciduous leaves ; it is a small village, not containing twelve houses. 

 Pagodas with the inscription- bearing walls occur as usual ; on a 

 small hill rising from just below the village, a large house with out- 

 houses belonging to a Lam Gooroo, is the prettiest bit of architecture 

 I have yet seen. We put up in a small house, of the usual poor con- 

 struction, capable of containing four or six people, the roofs are of 

 wood, the planks being kept down by stones. The evening was very 

 cold, but the thermometer did not fall below 44°. Here a solitary 

 specimen of Pinus was seen. 



A beautiful tree, with pendulous leaves and cones, which resemble 

 those of Abies, occurred. Rhododendron is common here. Around 

 the hut I observed Lobelia, Rumex, Quercus, Ranunculus, Plantago, 

 Leucas ciliata, Gnaphalia, Rubus, Urtica urentior, Rubi 2, Pteris 

 aquilina, Geranium, Galium, Artemisia major, Fragarise, Betula? 

 ramis pendulis, foliis lineari lanceolatis, Jubrung, Phlomoides, in 

 flower, Spiraea bella, Tetranthera, Daucus, Gleichenia major, Oxalis 

 corniculata, Dipsacus. The trees were covered with Lichens ; the 

 only cultivated plants I saw, and of these only straggling individuals, 

 were tobacco and Bhobosa. 



In a wood at the base of the hill on which the Lam Gooroo's 

 house is situated, Saurauja hispida, and S. arborea,* Woodwardia,* 

 Rubia cordifolia, Oaks, Spiraea bella, decomposita, Stemodia, Cerasus, 

 Curculigo, Pogonatherum,* Carduus, Polygonum rheoides, Panax, 

 Bucklandia, Berberis asiatica and Porana, occurred. 



Our march, after passing this hill, commenced by a descent 

 through a damp wood of Oaks, Eurya. Here Swertise 2 occurred 

 on banks. Clematis verbesina, Gordonia, Erythrina, Myrica. Thence 

 we passed along a ridge, the forests being stunted and wintery, abound- 

 ing with Rhododendron and oaks. Myrica, and pendulous lichens 

 occurred in abundance, but grasses predominate, chiefly Airoid and 

 Andropogons. 



From this to the right was seen a beautiful valley with a'moderate- 

 sized village and picturesque houses, with considerable and very 

 clever cultivation. 



Thence we crossed to the other side of the ridge, descending a little 

 and then continuing through forests of oak, consisting of a species 

 found on the Khasyah hills, and approaching Q. Robur : as all the 

 leaves had fallen, the whole appearance was that of winter. Here I shot 



