Sikkim, tropical forms beginning to appear; of these
the nettle tribe were most numerous in the woods.
A large grape, with beautiful clusters of round purple
berries, was very fair eating; it is not the common
vine of Europe, which nevertheless is probably an
Himalayan plant, the Vitis Indica.
"We did not halt at Chakoong, but proceeded to
Namgah, a very long and fatiguing march. Thence a
short march took us to Singtam, which we reached on
the 30th of October. The road by which I had come
up was for half the distance obliterated in most parts
by landslips, but they were hard and dry, and the
leeches were gone.
Bad weather, and Campbell’s correspondence with
the Sikkim officials, who prevented all communication
with the Bajah, detained us here two days, after which
we crossed to the Teesta valley, and continued along
its east bank.
The great shrubby nettle (Urtica crenulata) is common
h e re : this plant, called “ Mealum-ma,” has broad
glossy leaves, and though apparently without stings, is
held in so great dread,* that I had difficulty in getting
help to cut it down. I gathered many specimens without
allowing any part to touch my skin; still the
* The stinging hairs are microscopic, and confined to the young shoots,
leaf, and flower-stalks. Leschenanlt de la Tour describes being stung by
this nettle on three fingers of his hand only at the Calcutta Botanical
Gardens, and the subsequent sneezing and running at the nose, followed
by tetanic symptoms and two days’ suffering, nor did the effects disappear
for nine days. It is a remarkable fact, that the plant stings violently only
at this season. I frequently gathered it with impunity on subsequent
occasions, and suspected some inaccuracy in my observations; but in
Silhet both Dr. Thomson and I experienced the same effects in autumn.
scentless effluvium was so powerful that mucous
matter poured from my eyes and nose all the rest of
the afternoon in such abundance, that I had to hold
my head over a basin for an hour. The sting
is very virulent, producing inflammation; and to
punish a child with 4‘ Mealum-ma ” is the severest
Lepcha threat. Violent fevers and death have been
said to ensue from its sting; but this I very much
doubt,
TIBETAN IMPLEMENTS.
TEA-POTS, CUP, AND BRICK OP TEA J KNIFE, TOBACCO-PIPE (ACROSS CHOP-STICKS),
POUCH, AND FLINT-AND-STEEL.
v o l . §® K