out half a mile from our encampment,
deepest part of the ford four feet; its banks are either thickly wooded
or covered with Kagara jungle. The day's march was very uninteresting. I
observed a few Mango trees, a Mucuna, Laurineae are common, as well as a
Wendlandia in open grassy places. Sagittariae sp. was the only novelty.
Noticed the Hoopoe bird, _Upapa Capensis_.

[Meinkhoom: p76.jpg]

_March 25th_.--Meinkhoon is situated on a very small nullah, the
Eedeekha. The village which is large and well stockaded, is divided into
two by this nullah. The population of both cannot, including children,
be less than 200. They belong to the Meerep tribe. The women wear the
_putsoe_ somewhat like those of Burma, which seems to me quite new in
Singpho women; and is not the fashion with those in Assam. To the S.W.
there is a group of somewhat decayed Shan Pagodas, and a Poonghie house,
around which are planted mango trees and a beautiful arboreous Bauhinia,
B. rhododendriflora mihi, ovariis binis! Around the village is an
extensive plain, and to the S.E. one or two more Pagodas. This Bauhinia
has flowers 1.5 inches across, calyx spathaceus, petalis,
sub-conformibus, obovatis, repandis laete purpureis, vexillo coccineo-
purpureo, colore saturate venoso, carinae petalis distantibus, odor
Copaivae! Stam. 5 declinata, cum petalis, alternantia. Ovaria 2!
anticum posticumque, longe stipetata, difformia superiore minore,
aborticate, ambobus vexillo oppositis! Stylus ruber pallide; stigma
capitatum. One B. variegata, W. Roxb. Fl. Indic. vol. ii. p.319, quamvis
auctor de ovario antico silet.

Two snakes were captured, approaching in shape to the green snake of the
Coromandel Coast. Under surface throughout bright gamboge colour; upper
surface throughout, excepting about a span or less of the back of the
neck, bright ochraceous brown. The space above alluded to is in one
faintly, in the other strongly variegated with black and white. Irides,
gamboge-coloured.

_March 26th_.--Visited the amber mines, which are situated on a range
of low hills, perhaps 150 feet above the plain of Meinkhoon, from which
they bear S.W. The distance of the pits now worked is about six miles,
of which three are passed in traversing the plain, and three in the low
hills which it is requisite to cross. These are thickly covered with
tree jungle. The first pits, which are old, occur about one mile within
the hills. Those now worked occupy the b