Mount Everest, the reconnaissance, 1921 (1922) (14582364949)

Identifier: mounteverestreco01howa (find matches)
Title: Mount Everest, the reconnaissance, 1921
Year: 1922 (1920s)
Authors: Howard-Bury, Charles, 1881- Leigh-Mallory, George Herbert, 1886-1924
Subjects: Mount Everest Expedition, 1921
Publisher: New York Longmans, Green and co. London, E. Arnold & co.
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress



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a (OcJiotonaroylei nepalensis), which appears here to be confined to azone between the altitudes of 12,000 and 14,000 feet; itis not found in dry valleys. Among the trees in the lower Kama VaUey grow manyparnassias, a tall green fritillaria, a handsome red swertiaand a very sweet-scented pink orchis. We found the tubers(but not the flowers) of an arum, which the Tibetans coUectand make of it a very unpalatable bread. We went downthrough large rhododendrons, magnohas, bamboos, alders,sycamores, aU draped in long wisps of hchen (Usnea), to thejunction of the Kama with the Arun River, where we foundourselves in the region of the blue pine. The lower partof the Kama VaUey is unpleasantly fuU of leeches, and inthe course of an excursion to the Popti La (14,000 feet),one of the principal passes from Tibet to Sikkim, we wereastonished to find them very numerous and active at ajialtitude of 12,000 feet. At our low-altitude camps m thisvalley hundreds of moths were attracted by the hght of our
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Forest in the Kama Valley. NATURAL HISTORY NOTES 301 camp fire, and a few came to the dim candle lamps in ourtents. A collector who came here with a proper equipmentcould not faU to make a large collection of moths. Proceeding up the Kharta Valley in the beginning ofSeptember we found that most of the roses and rhododendronshad gone to seed, but some of the gentians, particularlyGentiana ornata, were at their best. Near our camp at17,000 feet, along the edges of streams, a very handsomegentian (G. nubigena) with half a dozen flowers growing ona single stem was very conspicuous, and growing with itwas an aromatic Uttle purple and yeUow aster (A. hetero-chceta); in the same place was a bright yeUow senecio (;S^.arnicoides) with shining, glossy leaves. A curious dark bluedead-nettle (Dracocephalum speciosum) was found on dryground at the same altitude. In the stony places grew upto 19,000 feet the dwarf blue meconopsis mentioned above,and many saxifrages, notably a very small white one (