Handwritten China journal of Edmund Heller (4 of 5)

Heller, Edmund, 1875-1939

1917

Smithsonian Institution Archives

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American Museum of Natural History China Expedition 1916-1917 Zoology

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"of the tribe" The whole day was spent by me shopping at five O.M., we had our meal down from a train. 27 The municipal Market on the Strand I visited today but it was a poor fruit market I saw only one basket of durians these gave out no offensive Odor, One European tailor is making an evening suit for me of black broadcloth for 90 Rupee + a Cotton buff suit for 30 Rupee which are prices quite as low as native tailors. Barry or Cab fares are very low I e., a ride of 1/4 hour is 6 annas, and an hour 1 Rupee. The hotel charges are only 9 Rupees a day including meals Servants are cheap & numerous

so that expenses are at least 50% less than in Europe. Rangoon is a great rookery. From my room at the hotel I can hailed daily by troops of these noisy birds. They sit on the roof tops and cornices opposite + watch intently for an opportunity to forage. When tea things are brought into the room they sweep down through open window & steal toast butter etc if no one is on guard. They are in appearance the same species of the rooks of Yam-ning River, & southern China in the low-lands. Their note is a high pitched carr & very rasping. 25 Called on the acting vice American consul, H.B Osborn a dentist who is temporarily

holding the position. He was very hospitable to warm admirer of Roosevelt. He told me that several good consul's had held the office but could not live on their salary of $2000 a year as the social expenses are heavy here. Osborn has lived in Rangoon 6 yrs + in India's, (Calcutta, Bombay, Madras). He is a graduate of Univ. Penn. At sundset we motored out to the Rangoon Club- the Social club of Rangoon. Many women were there as well as men in the gardens + verandas. I meet several majors, one the Censor. 29 visited the book club with with Osborn + took dinner with Smith of the National Bank. Smith is a doctor 46 yrs old & another scotishman who lives with

My room steward in conversation about the andirons, the man who told me that they could see only in one eye, the other having been kindled by a rod who was angered by them on one occasion when it marks had pecked a wound in the breast of a fair maiden + thus by causing bleeding killed them.

Smith. The absence of young European women in India seems to cause most men to remain bachelors there. 30 This morning I motored out to Cristopher's house & had a half hour with him & his trophies. He is the chief local sportsman & has many trophies in his house. He had 4 perfect tiger skulls on one of his walls. One was a large 1 17 inches in length, all of these he himself killed. He had 2 skulls of Sumatran 2 horned Rhinos which he 'had killed here but Moore also has found any. They live in a dense forest in a remote spot. There is no law protecti

Rhinos all tho they are nearly on quite extinct. The one horned Rhino is unknown here. He beat the record buffalo head in hump speed. some very fine bison head, one animal stood a foot & humps or withers. He has published a book on his per- iences, Big Game Shooting in Burma. At noon I embarked on the Bharatya for Calcutta. We had a full list on the 1st saloon chiefly army officers in khaki uniforms. Only one women or Indian is in the first class. The trip down river was pleasant with overcast sky. At 4 PM, we passed out into the open sea but found it quite smooth.

July 1) No land in sight or any vessel. Sea moderate but several passengers sea sick. The sky overcast with rain storm during from noon until sunset. The officers aboard are all Indian Army + on their way to Mesopotamia or Palestine Egypt by way of Karachi. My room mate, [illegible], is bound for Egypt. He has theatrical taste + his father is a leading playwrite of London. One of the recent N.Y. successes is by his father. One of our entertaining travellers is Turnbull, a motor cyclist who has seen much of China + the East. 2) Weather - sea as yesterday. At 4 P.M. we reached the mouth of the Strophie which is here very wide, the banks appearing at a great distance very low

The river is a muddy red color. The banks or land is a verdant green growth of bushes & small trees. Heads of small white terms with black caps followed us noiseily up stream. At dusk we dropped anchor for the night some miles up the river. The navigation of the Hugly is very difficult owing to the constantly shifting current. (3) Our progress up the river in the morning was past small steamers & boats anchored in the stream. On either side a hundred yards away or so were the low green banks coveredly bushes, open palm & trees with a small village occasionally breaking the scrub. At 11 Am. we reached Calcutta which looked quite grand with the great Maiden of Fort William in the foreground & tall city blocks & domes on the distance. The Bharata woo

"marched into the [illegible] wharf slowly + just as we made for a heavy storm broke & the rain descended steadily for an hour, I stuck to the ship for a time then made a wild rush for a gharry [the St. Eastern Hotel]. While Drum [was riding my turn] onto steamer & our allies in the Indian army engaged in a fist fight over nothing; a friendly probe with a stick hit at hands of one an expecter. They we have civil war inside our own regiments + some of the officers were leaving Calcutta at 8 P.M. & I saw them at the station. One man had served 10 months in France then invalided to India & enroute to Mesopotamia. None of them spoke at length on the german, but all were determined to root them out + conquer.

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(4) spent the Independence Day visiting the Zoo with my newly acquired boy, a Mohammedan Bengali who has seen Europe as well as Asia. The Park is very Prettily laid out with Lakes, Lawns + shade trees. Palm[s] of several species were common objects, both both coco etc. Great numbers of natives in families were seeing the animals. The women in their white robes are pretty + classical in garb. The children were happy the smaller ones [illegible] A guide book + map purchased at the entrance made the Park very accessible. A large number of tigers + leopards were in the park + one keeper exhibited a tiger written which you could stroke.

if Badkeshees was forthcoming one of the interesting sights to me now the great colonies of fruit bats living in the open trees of the park, hundreds were suspended from the trees at one corner of the park the bats being social in habits. Many hung in bright light & one dead or leafless tree was quite filled by bats much to my surprise a few moved about & shifted their position as I watched them. They show the same immunity to sunshine that Megaderma does in Africa. Herds of Elds deer & the Hog deer, and all of this were seen in Goodbooks. Several pairs of Pandas were exhibited. The gibbons

"were very affectionate to the keeper took them some of them out of the cage which clinged to him affectionately, One case of large brown Sanguers or sacred Apes were stealing in size + very friendly. No African animal except Zebras + Lions were seen in the gardens. The Keeper with Reptile house went into the Snake pens + stirred up the Cobras for us which lay camouflaged beneath piles of dry grass, When aroused being lifted up by the middle of the body they stood erect with spread hood + struck at him. They observed narrowly showed no fangs when the mouth was open, th fangs having been extracted, doubtless + this accounted for the Keepers fearlessness!"

Some of the great gray Cranes with red Necks were dancing. The dance was complicated & novel. They walked straight out spread wings first then took a several high steps & whiled about in a circle. The step mangements were like a fallet. 5 at 10' Am. I took a buttery ride to the Kabaget temple, a hindu shrine on the banks of a canal north of the Maidan. Here I saw great numbers of hindus M & F & children. one of the common sacrifices in beheading a goat, the blood which lies in pools on the stone floor. At the banks of the canal were many men women walking about performed before worship.

A sacred pool was seen in the place facing the temple. The waters are said to cure various broken moments of women & I saw several women bathing here. At another shrine I saw many women praying at this pool one was said to banish barneys. On the return to the hotel we visited the municipal market in a shop near by I purchased some embroidered cushions or camel hair rugs, tiger rugs here were valued at 250 Rupees & leopard skins turned at 150 Rupees quite as high as at home. The fruit section of the market contained many large mangoes, fine apples, bananas, pomegranates & grapes. Plums from up country, Mascaras, Pomelos & limes next Jackfruit was

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In Hotel an old custom prevails of using mature servant to take care your room & do personal service. The result is the chamber boy is eliminated at the hotel & they have even eliminated the push button which rings him up although the B.H. Hotel is a fine hotel there is no telephone service in the rooms. At 9:30 O.M. I went to the only play in town, amuse affair at the Empire Theater by the Bandman's who are affixture here. The audience was the interesting feature. In the seat were men & women in evening dress, the men in black chiefly as home & the women in white a light evening gown. Most of the wives were large robust English women, in good health & cheerful, scarcely a pleinder.

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"Press: This the fastest train in India & averages 50 miles an hour. The river is standard gauge & ran so easily I had no idea we were travelling so fast until our fellow passengers, The countrywe travelled through was the dead level of the Ganges delta the road being formed by flooded rice fields, the transplanting of the rice being just in progress. A short time after dark we crossed the newly completed bridge over the Ganges River which is more than a mile wide at this point. The landscape was golden paddy fields relieved by occasional fields of gir & groves of date palms, & an occasional village. The train carried a dinner whee we had dinner at 7:30. My fellow passengers were quite friendly & talkative.

The trainmen on my compartment were also bound for Danzig, at 10 P.M., we changed cars to a meter age line + to sleeping cars. At 7 A.M. arriving at the time, I met another companion an Irish tea- planter who was very hospitable + furnished whiskey + soda + information. 8) at 5 A.M., daylight reconnected us + we had a cup of tea at a station + the shaved + dressed, another change of cars to the diminut Danzig railway of 2 foot gauge was made at 6 A. M. at Schlagel Station. We were both chotee travelers (little truckers) can sitting of eggs, tea + fruit, this train consisted of small toy cars + every one all the powerful locomotive which jolted incessantly. We entered the front door after.

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"few were known to me. A larger no of people + trees were in palaces meantime. The large number was an abandoned growth lower down. As we approached Darjeeling the gardens became more numerous + mature & a different type from Bengali made their appearance. They were short + more filthy clothing groups in the mobs + great ladies with jewellery. There were Nepalese + Bhutanese, as Darjeeling's Besides these there were many Tibetans, especially men in the richshow, men here are Tibet. Darjeeling lies on a steep side hill & streets following the contours of the hill & connected with step like side streets. Frost + rain prevailed during the afternoon of first day.

9 Decmber I awoke this morning at 6 but there was no view of the Kinchewanga Range. Clouds & mist covered Darjeeling except at short intervals in one of which I saw the base of the Kinchi ganga range for a short time. July is the rainiest month of the year with an average of 2 1/2 inches, the total being about 100 or so. November is one of the driest months. After breakfast I visited the new Natural History museum which is situated in a park near the Gymbama Club. There were cases of mounted birds with names, a few curarining, many cases of butterflies & moths & birds eggs & The place was new & well lighted but no curator is attached or is there any Office or study collection

"From the Museum I dropped down into the Botanical Garden which is immediately below. The gardens are beautifully arranged in well kept lawns. Most of the trees & shrubs to my gratification were Hindhan species, well labelled, & many of the familiar Gen- era genera were represented Barberis, Hypericum, Colomaster etc. The curator was not in the Office where I noticed a herbarium & several native assistants. The afternoon was raining so that further sight seeing was not pleasant. There are no motors on Hargeelab or carriage cither all the roads well metates extend through the place all all of them are in places"

subject to heavy grade. However it appears that there is a local law prohibiting carriages or autos, Rickshaws, & sedan chairs or dandies are the only means of road transport. [10] Hard rain was on last today. Decent [illegible] with my Nepalese boy Tapu thoroughly wet. We descended the interjacket Observation Hill to the Bhutia village which dwings to the steep rutting. The houses were not typical native huts but perfectly flat ten pieces of foil tents, etc. At one place was another Tibetan temple in charge of Lamas. Many prayer flags were flying in the court + whole series of revolving prayer wheels flanked the entrance. The Lamas started the

"Prayer wheels & also offered to take me thru the temple. No mean of the snow mountains or even then nearby hills was obtained today. (1) This morning at daylight the rain was falling heavily. I visited the curator of Botany at the Botanic Gardens. Two local naturalist are in the community but he said that several of the ten-planters were enthusiastic sportsmen & knew the surrounding country well. At the present time he said no persons were allowed to enter Tibet but a few years ago permission could be obtained & he had been granted such favor by the Indian Govt. At 6 P.M. the fog & clouds lifted somewhat & all the nearby hills & valleys but the snow peaks remained hidden.

Thur. Tibetan rugs at 15 Rupees per Ounce blue and then red & third olive in color. The fur shops are well stocked here with skins of Leon leopards, tigers, Red foxes leopards, Persian rugs & cashmere rugs & many other other camels & skins. On the street we met a wedding procession, a Nepalese bridegroom [illegible] carried in a dandy & proceeded by clowns & Chinese type malinghiders appeals? [illegible] The bride was not present, she coming tomorrow with another procession. 13 This morning we beheld the object of our pilgrimage, Kinchinjunga & the snowy range of the Himalayas. Daylight broke misty but at 6.30 the snowy peaks began to show their rifts in the clouds

(12) This morning it was again rainy at daylight so that the snow ranges was hidden. At 8 AM however it cleared somewhat about the town + vista, deep valleys below Observation hill could be seen. The landscape was flecked in places by floating white clouds + breaking mist of small extent which made a pretty view. The town of Darjeeling makes a charming sight with its red roofed stone houses bare hidden in the deep green Camphoriaris trees which hide the town. There are only a few colors, a deep almost black green of trees, verdant green tea gardens, red roofs + buffy stone or white walled houses. Yesterday I bought

followed by several horsemens, friends now doubt Friday the 13th was our lucky day notwithstanding to the evil reputation of the day.

First snowy ridges on Kirchirnganger appeared then most of the mountain except the extreme tip. Later peaks to the east shone out for a few minutes & then were closed over again. The sun shone brightly on the snow which glistened like burnished silver. Finally the very top of Kirin- chirnganga came out. The large precipitous peak just to the east of Kirchirnga, known as Jammur is a striking mass now rising very abruptly great cliffs falling away from its snowy field at the summit; Kirchirnganger is a great mass, themainridge cleaving a great semicircle enveloping an any whitethen Jammur, the deep shadows being in this

zu Kirchleisungen Circe shadow Circe

cierce through the ridge or peak which sharp points no glaciers could be made out the snows either being too fresh covering all traces of ice or else the distance (40 miles) too great. The peaks to all in mountains nearby are very steep the ridges they were limit blade cliffs with great precipices of jagging white below. At some place the cliffs are quite perpendicular & black snow never able to lie on them. The play of fleecy white clouds a farthest before the mountain was very picturesque. This mountain is quite 6000 feet high than the highest peaks I have

Küchenjunge Valon 36 miles perhaps more from one day 3 day ride Jammu

seen in the circle. The distance is so great & there are so many peaks that the mountain does not impress you with its vast altitude. Mt Everest is a difficult peak to get a view of from as it lies far away + only its extreme tip shows on the horizon so there is nothing in the least impressive about the view. This is the view from Tiger Hill 6 miles south of Darjeeling a much better view can be obtained after at Sandakpur -> a 3 days hard ride north west of Darjeeling + at an altitude of about 1200 feet (1193 ft.) There is a bungalow here but this so far only few people make the trip.

Dickenson a mere wrecked my business man trip to jap of N.Y went out to Tiger hill at 2 am & saw the whole range including Mt. Everest, Others were drawn for it was misty at the time of starting. He left today for Calcutta.

Kichenjunga was for some years the highest measured peak & mountain in the world but is now second to Everest which is less than 1000 feet higher. The peaks which are seen on either side of Everest are lower than Kichenjunga. (14) I had arranged to leave the hotel at 3am. To try to Tiger Hill if the weather was clear but rain continued all night & morning & dense mist hid the landscape. Birds are singularly few in species or numbers near the station & scarcely a bird note is heard. The green colored Mina the only common bird, A few Black rooks can be seen at times & some flycateles or singlets in the trees. I believe I have seen only some 4 species of birds here.

(15) We had another day of mist from without any sight of the snowy Himlay. Yesterday afternoon visited the Gymkhana Club which is the center of life here. Many ladies + men came in for tea + to enjoy the band concert. There was also some dancing numbers. The club has a large skating rink also. The library is quite good + contains many books on Indian travel + sport. I met Mr Mackay and the Secretary of the Club but he was made an appointment with me for Monday morning to talk over shooting in the district. He has shot bear, antelope, black bear + the rare clouded leopard at Darjeeling. In the plains he

has done much pig shooting killing one two pigs believe. The bears here are very ferocious, and one which charged him clawed him terribly on the thigh & arm, while he held it with the barrel of his smoke-bore rifle. This bear charged him, being hit by his first shot, coming down hill with great speed. At the Tea planters club when I expected to meet some local sportsmen found only the Secretary in the planters who assembly on Sunday been away on Military Drill. He Mr. Trume furnished me with the names of sportsmen living in Darjeeling. (16) I called on Mr. G. Kennedy an inveterate sportsman who has shot in India & Africa has many trophies in his house.

"His wife who has hunted with him in B.E.A., asked me to lunch where I met her husband. He has shot in India an elephants during our tiger & has killed 100 in this way. His record of leopard has been 200 which is the highest in India. He has however shot no elephants or rhinoceros. At Darjeeling he has bagged a very large bear a black (hind awn) of 650 lbs, weight in the flesh. He has kept very few of his early trophies but his African has been preserved by his wife. The rifles he used are chiefly 470 Holland cordite x 350 Jeffry magnums which have never failed him. I visited another sportsman also an invalid to an incurable sort of paralyzing rheumatism.

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MacDonald told me he was a rubber planter from the Straits Settlements

17 Another foggy morning with rain obscured the landscape & the snow range. I decided to leave & took the train for Calcutta at 2 P. M. It was raining gently at the time. My companion was a Captain, who I had met at the hotel previously. He seemed to have quite a knowledge of Botany but was on his way to his regiment at Allahabad after 3 weeks at Darjeeling. When we reached Kurseong at 4 P. M., where we took tea, the mist lifted & from there downward we had a fine view of the plains all the way. The road ran past many tea gardens & then...

mountain forests, some of the trees I recognized, at 4000 feet & below many grand or screw palms were lined, a little lower were seen a few of wild jack fruit, I noticed at 2000 feet many panicles of the carrina flowered short with horizontally opposite placed leaves first seen at Friguel near Finchow. There were also many of the white bracted pandaled flowers so common in Guern-man. Ten grades continued down to 2000 feet at 4000 feet I saw a group of 3 large brown Macaques sitting on trees motorside from the track.

From the road + when we could see the plains spreading like a map wit the Teesta River winding than the plain + the green terrain forest which borders the hills rolling back, spreading on in fans with very few cultivated fields. (18) Daylight dawned at Santalaha where we changed to the broad queue at 4.50 AM. The trip thru the plains was amid fields of jute + rice in about equal proper rations. At 8 a.m. we crossed the Ganges over a steel bridge a mile in length. The river was muddy + swollen but within its banks fleet. With ship ended Bengali canos some with square sails bet

could be seen on the river on either side of the bridge. Two steamers or ferry boats never to be seen. The ride was awfully jarring train squeals + by the speed of the train rushing at 45 miles an hour than the still calm air. Birds were quite numerous in the fields, I saw many black storks, plumbeous rollers, which whirped bitterly eanhings or Cormorants, gray headed rooks, vulture, etc. At 11:30 PM - reached Calcutta. Took a taxi to the Sh. Eastern Hotel. Here I met Macdonald who had came from Harjeeling. He is the agent of the Mamput, Tramway Company of Canada. After evening we went to the Empire

Theater to see the Bandman company play the Girl in the Taxi. Before dinner we took a ride in his Buick car along the Maidan & stopped at the Band concert, Later evening we drove to Alisporo near the zoo. On the way back we met great numbers of flying fates Petropas. They have a slow flight about like that of grills & often associated in small flocks. We saw them for Monte the hotel on the city but they do not hawk for insects but apparently roost in the trees of Government house Monte the Hotel.

Bengalis some quite as black stirred as any negro. The men often have heavy curls of black hair on the chest, homewere. Many of the children were mulatto their parents only half colad. The road follows the Grand Trunk R or E. G. RR & is a well macadamized level road most of the way. Much of the time we recent travelled at 35 miles an hour, after leaving Burdwan we embarked into Bamanagel which we reached at half at 9 P.M. Here we stopped in the Lake Bengalown Our distance from Chander by road was 120 miles. During the last days we met many night-jars on the roadway & saw one

19 Spent the day shopping & motoring about Calcutta. 20 MacDonald took me up country in his Brickbar for a few days Insurance work. We got away at 12 o'clock but made slow progress getting out of Calcutta amid the bullock carts, The first 30 miles the road ran then narrow lanes with trees shut or either side + goats, dogs + children in the streets wherever villages could be seen. At 5 P.M. we reached Burdwan station & threw tiffin in the Stationhouse. The road up this point extends then the rice fields bordered by banyans + other trees + field of jute or hemp were often passed amidst the light green of the new rice. The village people were also

"jackal", a small cat - a mongoose crossing in front of us . During the day we had several little rain showers. 21 At noon, we left the dak bungalow & motored over to Agassol , a larger station on the railroad. Here we lunch dinn at 3 PM in the station house & then made camp in the dak bungalow, The country here is rolling & slightly like our prairies & the rice fields are terraced to agree with the slope . The chief industry here is coal mining. The coal is bituminous good quality & not far below the surface. There is also a porous iron ore here like bog iron which is ruined. The collieries are all managed by British, the

miners being Bengalis, we visited [illegible] of the local club, at 5 P.M., where the managers assemble to play games + chat. They were atypical lot of middle class British + their wives + some small children were also at the club, one man 74 yrs old was remarkable for his youthful appearance + demeanor. He played billards like a man of 35. He has lived here for 40 years but the climate has had not any effect on him. 21 Sunday was spent calling on various Coleray managers near Groomal. Most of these men were married living in spacious white stone or brick bungalows. They were

Angelo Dharis manager Smith who asked us to stop with him on the Rajah's estate. The Rajah, is immensely wealthy being owner of the coal fields of the district which he rents to British companies for a percent of the output. The Rajah has sprung from the lowest caste the sweepers but now lives in a castle fitted with electric & modern conveniences. He also had a herd of elephants & camels for display purposes. From anywhere in the district the sacred nuth. of Paramath 4,000 feet altitude can be seen some 20 miles distance. It is a shrine of many temples & the slopes are covered by a primval sacred forest. On the summit are many temples & dele brungalam. The nuth has the shape & size of Kongo Salunkh. BEA

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(25) In the afternoon we drove over with our baggage to Smiths house opposite the Rhajas Castle. There was in his compound a large pond with broad stone steps leading down to it where the women of the village came constantly to bathe & wash their beauty products. They bathed with their tops on & exposing only the shoulders & calves like the Burmese girls. The managers house was a neat brick affair with plaster walls & flat brick & plaster roof of the usual style. It was filled with electric fans & light & very comfortable. The Rhajas Castle looked up merely a large building of several

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He had been thru the campaign from the first & said the mistakes & neglect of the medical staff was quite appalling & had accounted for much waste of life among the wounded. The heating summer he saw was intense, the 120° being a frequent shade maximum temperature. No big game or birds were seen but antelopes occurred very rarely lions, game birds were very common in winter ducks, geese, sand grouse, etc. He has great admiration for the bravery & fighting ability of the Turkish soldier. He said the Turks were quite fearless but cruel giving no quarter nor spending any. The British Troops had lost heavily against Turkish artillery all their entrenched, this chaplain was a missionary in Calcutta.

His name is Thompson Sheeher. Region + is quite a good natural boring mammals especially well, After dinner I attended the Empire Theater with Brett Michael whom I had met on the Pharaoh Star, coming over from Rangoon. [27] I dined with M. Meed in his rooms at top the Whiteaway Building. I was surprised to find that here was the Manager of Whiteaway Tailors Check Store # has much responsibility. Before dinner he took me out for a run around the country in his new Buick car, we went south of Glentta on a 18 mile run into the country just at sunset, [28] While loafing in the hotel lobby with Michael, I met the Maharaja of Fulkara who

as a gay chap about town at present. He has hunted in Kashmir much as well as Port. East Africa & Brit. E. Afr. In India he has killed elephants, rhinos, many antelopes (common mapiti) etc. - Michael 28 Sunday morning & I drove out to Barrackpore a station 10 miles up the Hoogly, where we expected to take tiffin. The ride out was on a well shaded broad avenue of trees with villages at intervals. A large jute mill stands at the station. The hotel (now) deserted some returned to Calcutta P.O.B. 29 Spent the morning & afternoon at the Indian Museum looking at the

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(1) August The morning was spent at the Museum library looking over the mammal literature. The library is very complete & spacious, well arranged & quiet. The Journal of the Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. is a large publication with fine coloured plates but the P.Z.S. in style & quite as good. (2) This morning I looked over the small mammal collection. The collection is very poor & in bad condition, The specimens are all old faded ones badly stuffed & much broken & would shuff. There is no new

material practically. The institution or its collection rather are just decayed. New material is much needed here. The only really modern feature of the place is the library. 3 A residents dance in the Town Hall near Swt. House occupied us in the evening. The soldiers were there in pairs their ladies were chiefly Eurasians, very few European girls being in evidence. Some Scotch pipers rent the air with their weird bagpipes during one fete dance interval. Hands came off the building while the dancers shifted, but those who danced were

controlled by preparation. Dancing at this season can scarcely be said to be a pleasure. 4 Concertini, a Manchester cotton expert & myself went to the Bign Cinema with two Eurasian girls & enjoyed a real Indian night! 5 A heavy downpour flooded the streets at 10 p.m. At 11: it cleared & descended down to the Houghley to see the bore came up the Waterman as the newspaper reported a very high tide for Today. There was no definite more but the tide came welling up very suddenly with a rush! The tide is now nearly 25 feet which is not alone.

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[illegible] Smith who to, with him Angel Pharo's manager asked to

8) This morning I visited Mr. Damardale, director of the Museum. He had just returned from Paris, which he where he has been studying aquatic forms. He is specially interest in mollusca. He said all the mammals in exhibit were 70 years old & should be replac'd. Very little new mammal material is in the museum; He has very few funds for works & the staff is small & devotes all its time to research. There is no money donated by wealthy Britishers or native princes. 9) It has rained most of the day. At the hotel I met 2 Burma Oil Co. company men on their way to Shillong, a hill station of the capital of Assam now the Government at 5000 M. altitude

See Murray's guide p.400 Near Shillong is Cherrapunji noted as the place of heaviest rainfall in the world. The annual rainfall here is 450 inches and some years it has reached 905 inches of which 366 inches fell in July alone. Only a few miles away Shillong has 82 inches annually. The storms strike a steep mountain side & precipitate their moisture in clouds at this point as chiefly causing the heavy rainfall. 10th spent the day at the Museum reading in the library. 11th Dr. Gunnar Dale asked me to lunch at the Museum today. He lives with 2 other naturalists in the museum compound in a farmhouse facing a small lake.

a garden of ornamental trees + Palms. They are all bachelors. The geologist has returned from nine months fighting at the front but he looked in good condition. Dr. [illegible] has done much systematic work on reptiles & fishes. He told me of a new or undescribed genus of lemurs he had seen a sketch of. The animal lives in Burma or Assam & the only specimen see was a pet which has escaped without a description being taken by any naturalist. 12 After tiffin I took a trip down the Hooghly in the ferry with Custerbine to the Botanic Gardens. We visited the great Banyan tree

The labelling in the garden is by scientific names only so that only a professional botanist can comprehend the names. This is a great pity as English names would inform & educate the public, but scientific names only is universal to India! The people consider our simple scheme to impress them by making the science very learned.

again but there was so much surface water standing near that we did not dare wade thru it to the trunk. I saw many fine teak trees labelled in the garden. They are a large tree, tree with great pale green oval leaves a foot long by six wide. The trunk is smooth & reddish brown in color. There were also growing in the garden Sal or Shorea trees. These are the chief teak tree They have rather large leaves & a rough bark. The Bombay Burma Trading Co are the chief teak shippers of Burma & all their managers are college men, Major Whitmore was employed on the Salveon teak cutting by this company.

(13) The library of the Museum has been my center of interest. Calcutta has made me realize what a severe task the British have in battling with the delicate & governing it, as well as exploiting India. This place is extremely moist & uninviting & is no place for a white man's home. Nine months of heat & moristure & only 3 cool or bearable months give Calcutta its hell. Of the men here are largely bachelors by necessity because British women will not endure the climate. The married men are also virtually bachelors for themselves at home with the children in the hills!

14 Attended the band concert at Eden gardens at sunset. This is a favourite resort for all classes of society at dusk. The British stops there in his ruster with his wife & family or their pet dogs if [illegible] children are wanting. Native nurse girls with their European charges are here in numbers & some Bengalese also as Indians! & Europeans predominating. The gardens are well arrayed with lawns, trees flowerbeds & a lake. Here I saw a Burmese pagoda brought [illegible] from Burma, this a natural teak temple consisting of a series of peaked roof one described above another.

(15) I visited the Police Station in Lal Bazaar Rd. & got obtained a permit to leave Calcutta for Hong Kong. The building is a well made spacious one, but the Office arrangements are inconvenient. While I was in the office the police commissioner was telephoning over a general telephone while several people were sitting loudly a few feet from him & of carts were rumbling over through premises outside. I turn the head anyway & as anybody but he appears in no way annoyed & this is doubtless a everyday affair with in the office.

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"From the police station I went to the Secretarial to have visa for Singapore added. The officers were quick here but the service bad. My charges were 2 Rs. I having no change I handed in a 10 R. note & delay was sent out for change but delayed 15 minutes & than left without the change leaving it for my return next day. There was many officer in the building were changes available in 2 minute's ago. The passport clerks said only a few permits to leave Calcutta are issue daily now & these chiefly to foreigners. No able bodied men under 50 may leave

"India now on private business. All men up to 40 years must enter the Indian Home Defense Force. Drills times weekly & all men from 40 to 50 who are physically fit must enter the local defense force unless physically unfit as judged by the medical board. 16 Every evening from 6 to 7 o'clock a walk around the Maidan usually thru the fort, then on the Strand & then to the band concert at Eden gardens. A moderate walk covers one with perspiration. Fine clothes are notched there. The least exertion in this climate causes profuse sweating. 17 At my table I have gotten acquainted with a red haired Briton.

Who travels for a good time. While in Arizona at one of the [illegible] plantations he told me of a tame black gibbon, his pet. This animal was of large size but very affectionate & tame & may always be found to roam over the whole estate. But it never wandered away into the forest except for a frolic or for an search of food. It [illegible] occasionally stole the moon at mess time but never bit or threatened any members of the family. Sometimes it gave its weird call note. (18) In attempting to sell my .22 rifle I got acquainted with the manager of Manton Mr. Gun store. He told me that down in the deeper brush there was good tiger shooting, often the tigers seen running across the

weeks. Buffalo, bison, Bison & small deer were also common. A motor boat cost 10R per day but home built which are very comfortable are much less and just as satisfactory for a long shout. (19) McDonald took me out in a new/Herz mobile car to the shores the engine proved difficult to start so we came back without stopping there. The weather was not raining & distance the sun shore. The trip around the Maiden was delightfully done in a fast running car. The Maiden is the greatest institution in Calcutta & is known to the residents as the lungs of Calcutta, every evening from 5 to dark.

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"you may see the sun" walking across the water or driving & on the green lawn, & many races football games are in progress between natives & Europeans. At 5 P.M. we drive to the Zoo with McDonald, Hallor & Harrington (an Am.) and Sunday afternoon, the fee is 1 Rupee at the garden gate, & under notices & allows the European residents to enjoy the park unmolested. There is a band concert at the Tea Pavilion at dusk. The large orange carried away 2 joints of my telescope umbrella & these were saved up before three persons could be summoned to rescue them.