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The vegetation in the, neighbourhood of Lamteng is European and North American; that is to say, it unites the boreal and temperate floras of the east and west hemispheres; presenting also a few features peculiar to Asia.
The river runs close tinder the eastern side of the valley, which slopes so steeply as to appear for many miles almost a continuous landslip, 2000 feet high. Lamteng village, where I arrived on the 27th of May, is quite concealed by a moraine to the south, which, with a parallel ridge on the north, forms a beautiful bay in the mountains, 8,900 feet above the sea, and 1000 above the Lachen.
Routes from Choongtam to Tibet frontier Choice of that by the Lachen river Arrival of Supplies Departure Features of the valley Eatable Polygonum Tumlong Cross Taktoong river Pines, larches, and other trees Chateng pool Water-plants and insects Tukcham mountain Lamteng village Inhabitants Alpine monkey Botany of temperate Himalaya European and American fauna Japanese and Malayan genera Superstitious objections to shooting Customs of people Rain Run short of provisions Altered position of Tibet frontier Zemu Samdong Imposition Vegetation Uses of pines Ascent to Thlonok river Balanophora wood for making cups Snow-beds Eatable mushrooms and Smilacina Asarabacca View of Kinchinjunga Arum-roots, preparation of for food Liklo mountain Bebaviour of my party Bridge constructed over Zemu Cross river Alarm of my party Camp on Zemu river.
The Lamteng people had all migrated beyond that point to Tungu, where they were pasturing their cattle: I sent thither for food, and procured a little meal at a very high price, a few fowls and eggs; the messenger brought back word that Tungu was in Tibet, and that the villagers ignored Kongra Lama.
A few miles above Choongtam, we passed a few cottages on a very extensive terrace at Tumlong; but between this and Lamteng, the country is uninhabited, nor is it frequented during the rains. We consequently found that the roads had suffered, the little bridges and aids to climb precipices and cross landslips had been carried away, and at one place we were all but turned back.
During my stay at Lamteng, the weather was all but uniformly cloudy and misty, with drizzling rain, and a southerly, or up-valley wind, during the day, which changed to an easterly one at night: occasionally distant thunder was heard.
Amongst trees the Conifers are conspicuous at Lamteng, and all are of genera typical both of Europe and North America: namely, silver fir, spruce, larch, and juniper, besides the yew: there are also species of birch, alder, ash, apple, oak, willow, cherry, bird-cherry, mountain-ash, thorn, walnut, hazel, maple, poplar, ivy, holly, Andromeda, Rhamnus.
Tropical Cicadas ascend to the pine-woods above Lamteng in this month, and chirp shrilly in the heat of the day; and glow-worms fly about at night. The common Bengal and Java toad, Bufo scabra, abounded in the marshes, a remarkable instance of wide geographical distribution, for a Batrachian which is common at the level of the sea under the tropics.
Our guide had remained at Lamteng, on the plea of a sore on his leg from leech-bites: his real object, however, was to stop a party on their way to Tibet with madder and canes, who, had they continued their journey, would inevitably have pointed out the road to me.
I started with about fifteen attendants, on the 25th of May, for Lamteng, three marches up the Lachen. Descending the step-formed terraces, I crossed the Lachen by a good cane bridge.
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