472 



CHUGUR SERAI AND OTIPORE. 



a very domestic bird, and fond of notice, its voice on such occasions 

 is pleasing, on some others very harsh and hawk or eagle-like. Its 

 manners are curious, depressing its tail, and arching its neck, and 

 pecking at imaginary objects in a curious way. From the expres- 

 sive manner in which it looks up at sunset on surrounding objects, 

 especially trees, it is obviously accustomed to roost. 

 April 1st. — Pushut Fort. 



4th. — Weather unsettled: a slight rumbling sound of an earthquake 

 was felt yesterday evening, the atmosphere at the time being very 

 close : this was succeeded by a squall. Strong winds are prevalent, 

 generally easterly : clear sunshine is evidently of rare continuance 

 at Pushut : little snow remains except towards Bharawul. 



I was much struck this morning with the entire disappearance of 

 a green mantle of Confervoid scum from the surface of a foul pool 

 close to my quarters. Yesterday the pool was quite green, now there 

 is no green, nor any traces of the scum except such portion as was 

 not in the water but round the margins. 



6th. — Proceeded to Chugur- Serai, which place was reached after 

 marching 3 h. 10 m. at three miles an hour. Ocharrye one of the 

 peaks near this is deep in snow ; it is much higher than Speencas. 

 The season here is now nearly as forward as it is at Kooner, although 

 on my last visit sixteen days ago, it was fifteen days behind, but the 

 narrowness of the valley must increase the heat much. 



Great delay occurred in crossing the Pushut river, which is much 

 swollen from the heavy rain on the 4th. Thunder and hailstone 

 common, clear days decidedly rare in the spring of these parts. 



Edolius occurs here, another stonechat has come in. 



7th. — Proceeded to Otipore, which took 8 h. 9 m. to perform the 

 journey ; very unsettled weather. Yesterday several thunderstorms, 

 and heavy rain. 



\0th. — Clearing up, went to Bharawul; and returned on the 

 12th. I was much disappointed at the paucity of forms, for I did 

 not get ten species, not met with before. The flora of the fir woods 

 amounts to almost nothing, Colchicum straggles up now and then, 

 this and a grass or Carex, a Caprifoliaceous shrub, and Cotoneaster of 

 Tazeen, and Fragaria are the only forms. The oak as it gets to higher 

 altitudes assumes a different form, probably it is a different species, 

 for the leaves are much less coriaceous, and are not glaucous under- 

 neath, otherwise there is little difference between it and the common 

 Baloot, the chief plants found occurred in the clearings, which sur- 



