grove of the same trees was passed, in which every individual
had its trunk bent in the direction of the slope,
probably by the weight of the winter’s snow. No birches
had been seen on the south face of the pass, nor did the
dwarf Rhododendron and little Andromeda appear till the
summit had been gained, though they were abundant on
the northern face. Rhododendron campanulatum was the
next plant observed, forming bushes four or five feet in
height, and growing in large green patches, along with
the willow, which I had found on the top, and the same
rose common on the southern side. About 1200 feet
below the summit, that is, about 12,000 feet above the sea,
pine-trees commenced—Pinus excelsa and Picea making
their appearance together, the deodar not till a considerably
lower level had been reached. The trees of
silver fir were small, with smaller and shorter leaves than
the common tree of the forests in the outer Himalaya,
and were therefore the' true Picea Webbiana of Hoyle,
the more common long-leaved form being the Picea
Pindrow of that author*.
* I have carefully compared, since my return to England, a great
many specimens of the Himalayan Picea, and am sorry to be obliged to
dissent from the opinion of their distinctness, which has been expressed
by many excellent observers. Great variations occur in length of leaf,
which is either green on both sides, or very glaucous below. All have
notched leaves, but the notch varies much in depth and form. There
are also diiferences in the form of the cones and the shape of the
scales. The long green-leaved state is that of the moist Himalaya; in
the driest regions the very short glaucous-leaved form occurs. There
are, however, among the specimens collected by Wallich, Strachey, and
myself, so many intermediate forms of leaf, that I feel satisfied that all
must be considered states of one species, varying, like most Conifer a,
with climate and other accidental circumstances.
At an elevation of 11,000 feet, at a rough estimate,
we passed the first deodars, and at the same height cultivation
commenced. The first fields were wheat, now
nearly ripe. With the cultivation many plants of lower
elevation began to appear, which had disappeared on the
upper part of the mountain, but many were missed which
had been common, and the general aspect of the vegetation
was strikingly altered, the diminution affecting at
once the number, the abundance, and the luxuriance
of the plants. Juniper was frequent till some time after
the first corn-fields were passed, and Gerard’s pine was
common on the lower part of the descent. Throughout
the whole distance from the crest to the Lipa stream,
the road lay along a ravine, which was very rough and
uneven, and covered with numerous and often very large
boulders of granite* scattered irregularly over the surface
of the valley. Towards the end of the day’s march,
we reached the Lipa stream, which was of large size; and
we continued along its right bank, through a dry fir-wood,
till close to the village, when we crossed by a substantial
wooden bridge to enter Lipa, which is situate on a flattish
piece of ground on the left bank of the stream, and very
little above its level. It is a small village, with some
cultivation, and a rather odd-looking little temple, close to
which are two fine trees of Juniperus excelsa, the sacred
* I have now no doubt that the whole of this descent was over an
ancient glacier moraine, but I was not at the time familiar with glaciers
or their moraines by personal experience; and though on this and other
similar occasions my notes- show that I was much puzzled by the
numerous transported blocks, the idea of this explanation did not suggest
itself to me till I had an opportunity of seeing the connection of
such phenomena with actual moraines.