292 



BOOTAN. 



May \4th. — Ascended to the Gylong village, above Chupcha, and 

 then to the naked ridge. The village may be estimated as being 

 8,700 or 8,800 feet above the sea, and that part of the ridge to which 

 I ascended as 9,800 or 10,000 feet. The ascent is uninterrupted up 

 to the village; it winds through a fine fir wood, after diverging from 

 the road to Panga, after that it is quite open, scarcely a shrub being 

 met with until the ridge is surmounted. On turning to its northern 

 face, woody vegetation becomes pretty abundant, and 500 feet 

 below, woods occur. This is contrary to what usually happens ; the 

 south faces of mountains being supposed to be better wooded than 

 the others, but in Bootan the difference would seem to be due to the 

 piercing winds blowing from south, or up the ravine of the Teemboo. 

 The scenery was very pretty, both in the woods before reaching the 

 village, and from the ridge : vast quantities of snow visible to the 

 north and north-east. I ascended to within 1,000 feet of snow, and 

 I think that at this season, an elevation of 11,000 feet is required 

 in open places to secure the presence of snow : it is obvious that local 

 circumstances, such as shelter, etc. may cause it to descend nearly 

 to 9,000 feet, and it is as obvious that snow will descend lower 

 down a mountain of 15,000 feet high than one of 12,000; the differ- 

 ence in the beds of snow causing a greater reduction of temperature 

 in the one than in the other. In an isolated mountain, an elevation 

 of 1 1 ,000 feet will be required for the presence of snow in May. 



At 8,000 feet, Baptisia, Viburnum canum, Umbellifera toxicaria, 

 Colquhounia, Deutzia, the Symphoria of Teemboo. 



At 8,200 feet, Salix, Abies spinulosa straggling, Rhododendron 

 microphylla commences, the bruised has a terebenthaceous odour, 

 Ilex, Gaultheria flexuosa, Parus major : variegated shortwing, Papilio 

 machaonires. 



At 8,300 feet, Saxifraga ligularis. 



At 8,400 to 8,500 feet, Limonia, Viburnum grandiflorum or canum, 

 Berberis asiatica, Mespilus microphyllus, Populus oblonga, Rhododen- 

 dron ochrolena, Clematis grata viola lutea,* Epipactis, Hemiphragma. 



At 8,700 feet, Rhododendron microphyllum very common, Ribes, 

 Bupleuri sp.,* Rosa fructibus hispidis,* Rubia hispida, Sambucus, 

 Berberis integrifolia, an vero distincta. 



At 8,800 feet, Viola pusilla, Fragaria vesca and lutea, Baptisia, 

 Rosa, Sphserostemma, Clematis grata, Pinus pendula, etc. 



At 9,000 feet, commencement of sward, no trees, except stunted 

 shrubs of Pinus pendula, Mespilus microphyllus, Baptisia. Gnaphalium 



