576 
Mr. W. E. Ogilvie Grant on Birds 
concerned. They did not seem to care much what we did 
or where we went. It is quite easy and safe for foreigners 
to travel in these latter parts. 
“ There can be no doubt that the valleys of the great 
rivers west of Yunnan city and south of the Yunnan-Bhamo 
trade-route are extremely unhealthy. I and all my followers 
enjoyed excellent health until we got west of I-men. From 
that place onward, until we had crossed the Salwin, we were 
constantly prostrated by malarial fever, and suffered great 
lassitude and depression when camped in the valley bottoms : 
a thing we avoided doing as much as possible. The valley 
of the Papien is among the worst in this respect. 
“ It was my original intention to have kept as near as 
possible in a bee-line from Shanghai to Mandalay; but on 
arrival at a place called Mong-kou, south-east of Kun-lung 
ferry, I found some savage tribes called f Ke-wa' J (nearly 
allied to the Nagas of the hills south of the Assam valley), 
who objected to my traversing their country, so I was 
obliged to turn northward, and direct my footsteps to Bhamo 
instead. 
“ To those interested in the geography of China, it may 
be worth noting that, while the distance between Hankau 
and Bhamo along the route followed by me is, according to 
the best maps of China, roughly 1500 miles, the actual 
distance traversed, according to my sketch, is some 2360 
miles. 
“ Again, the distance from I-men to Ching-tung is shown 
on the maps as about 75 miles; I found we had to walk 
nearer 200 miles, which occupied us nine hours a day for ten 
days, excluding halts. 
f ‘ The following may prove of interest. During the journey 
from Hankau to Bhamo, between November 8, 1898, and 
April 20, 1899, the thermometer ranged from 30° to 92° Fahr. 
in the shade. We experienced every kind of weather from 
bright clear sunshine and cloudless skies to dull dark days, 
accompanied by fogs, mist, rain, snow, sleet, hail, frost, cold 
bleak winds, or hot fiery blasts. On the whole, except 
Manchuria, and perhaps Kashmir, I know no part of Asia 
so suited to the people of Western nations for prolonged 
