DARJILING 
77 
has been waiting to see you since 6 o’clock.” “ What on earth does 
he want ? ” “I don’t know, sir, but he says he wants to see you 
himself.” “ Very well, show him up.” Thereupon a native entered, 
made a low salaam, and presented a “ chit ” (account):— 
Ram Lai 
To one mother , Rs. 50 
Darjiling, 27° N., alt. 7000 ft. 
December 13th—22nd, 1903. 
I set off to this celebrated hunting-ground with great misgivings 
as to season, but still full of wild hopes. The ascent by the cog¬ 
wheel railway took us through a most interesting forest, where 
amongst other things we saw our first Tree-fern, as well as the far 
more beautiful wild Banana {Musa sp.). Near Tindaria, at about 
3000 ft., I saw several Ixias pyrene and succeeded in catching one 
from the train while it was going at full speed—about seven miles 
an hour! This was a male of the large form evippe, Drury. 
Before reaching Kurseong, nearly 5000 ft., where I had arranged 
to stop with a view to a little collecting, we got into the clouds, 
and at our destination it was very cold, with an atmosphere only 
too like that of the West of Scotland. During a gleam of sun¬ 
shine I took a Vanessa kashmirensis, a poor dull thing compared 
to our urticae. At night two moths, an Acidaliid Erythrolophus 
(Synegiodes ) hyriarius, Walk., and Caradrina albosignata, Oberth. 
(thought by Sir G. Hampson to be probably identical with lineosa, 
Moore), came to light. 
The following morning was brighter and we started early to walk 
up to the next station, Toong, but though the weather was more 
benignant, the railway ran through a district devoted to tea-growing 
which did not promise well for collecting. A few Vanessa hash - 
mirensis, a Pyrameis indica and a P. cardui flew along the road, the 
latter with both apices of the fore-wings and one hind-wing near the 
anal angle apparently bitten. Near Toong station, 5500 ft., in a 
sheltered and flowery spot I took single specimens of the Hairstreaks 
Tier da epicles , Godart, a female, and Camena cleobis , Godart; the latter 
on the upper surface is like Thecla guercus , but bluer, on the 
