Field Notes: 1961-1962 - India, Pakistan, Nepal, Malaysia, Thailand

[LEFT PAGE]

STOP 5-E.PAKISTAN: FENI 10 ft. IX-23-1961 25 specimens

Quick stop in flat rice paddy area with scattered clumps of trees and bamboo. Village huts nearby. Grass & rice green from plenty of rain. Cloudy, warm day

----------------------------------------- STOP 6-E.PAKISTAN: COMILLA 50 ft. IX-23-61 1000 specimens.

Camp situated in a yard near town, overlooking a large "tank" or pond. Vegetation entirely disturbed - planted gardens, grazed grass, etc. Entirely flat country. Night collecting more slow, probably because of a full moon. Temperature moderate, humidity high.

-------------------------------------------- [RIGHT PAGE]

STOP 7-E.PAKISTAN: SYLHET 50 ft. IX-25-61 30 specimens.

A few specimens were collected in and around the Dak Bungalow right in town. A large tank or pond is situated behind the bungalow, a river across the road in front. Large trees, small shrubs, and grassy areas comprised the chief vegetation in the yard. Rainy, cool. Flat country.

-------------------------------------------------- STOP 8-E.PAKISTAN: LAWA CHERA FOREST, SRIMANGAL 110 M, IX-27-61 4000 specimens.

In the vast expanses of E. Pakistan lowlands there are very few topographic features of any kind, let alone anything big enough to be called a hill. Lawa Chera Forest Reserve, however, is a very fine area of forest in a small but "relatively" high hill group roughly south from Sylhet.

There is a beautiful forestry rest house situated right in

[LEFT PAGE]

the trees on a steep knoll overlooking the surrounding forest. The jungle in this reserve is nearly undisturbed; some small villages with their tiny fields and gardens may be found here and there, but most of the hills around the rest house have been disturbed only by trails, the railroad, and a minimum of logging. Unfortunately this beautiful spot - as good as one could find in E. Pak. for biological work - is scheduled to be cut over and planted with teak within a few years.

The black light was placed against the almost luminous white walls of the rest house and drew from the surrounding forest; the result was fantastic. Moth colledting was especially good.

There are no major ponds or streams in this area, though small creeks are quite frequent along forest trails. The trails themselves serve as creeks during the momentary "flash floods" from frequent cloudbursts.

[RIGHT PAGE]

The weather was more changeable terrential rainsone hour, but sun the next. rain fell at lease 2 or 3 times each day. The absence of moonlight and proximity of the jungle resulted in good collection at night. Wind absent, humidity high.

---------------------------------------------------------STOP 9-E.PAKISTAN CHICKNAGUL, 10 MI.N.SYLHET 10M., IX-30-61 100 specimens.

A night and morning stop on a knoll rising a little above the surrounding flat rice land. Many trees and much tangled growth covered parts of the area, though buildings and roads cut into the wooded areas. [Bark?] collecting in a pile of cut logs and stumps was good. Weather cool, humidity high. Rain interrupted black light work. No moonlight.

[LEFT PAGE] STOP 10-E.PAKISTAN JAINTIAPUR, 5M, IX-30-61 40 specimens.

Short stop in the heart of this small village not far from the sudden escarpment of the Khasi Hills. Hot, humid midday. Butterflies and more were collected on hybiscus flowers in gardens: carpenter bees were taken around the wood of village roofs. The little farm is situated in a very flat area which becomes quite boggy during the heaviest part of the monsoon. The monsoon is on its way out by early October, however, and the rice is thriving at this time. [THE FOLLOWING SENTENCES WRITTEN THEN CROSSED OUT: around the wood of the village houses. 40 specimens.]

--------------------------------------------------------STOP II - TAMABIL, E. PAKISTAN IX-30-61

Short afternoon stop at this border village at the foot of the KhasiJaintia Hills. Elevation 5 meters. Countryside very wet and swampy with many fields of rice or swampy, grassy bogs. Many small knolls, fairly tree covered, rose out of the flatland, and the hills rose steeply from the collecting sight. Most insects collected at hybiscus flowers and other flowering plants or in the grass. Spiders collected along roadbank covered extensively with plants.

150 specimens

Hot, humid afternoon,no wind, partially cloudy.

Blossoming [BER?] tree excellent for hymenoptera - loves

[LEFT PAGE]

INDIA ASSAM STOP 12 - 3. MI. N. DAWKI, ASSAM IX-30-61

Climbing steeply up the road to Shillong into the Khasi-Jaintia Hills, we made a short afternoon Embiid stop at 160 miteres up in the forest along a "mountain" stream. Temperature fairly cool, afternoon sunny. Tetrigids(?) on rocks along stream. 50 specimens. Dense rain forest. --------------------------------------------------------STOP 13 7 MI. S. PYMURSLA ASSAM IX-30-61

An evening, night, and morning stop at 1,010 meters elevation in the Khasi-Jaintia Hills on the Shillong road. Camped in a grassy field backed directly by an amphitheater of hills, down the middle of which ran a fairly swift creek draining the local shores. Hills densely covered by tangles growth and forest. Weather cool, partially cloudy. We had

[RIGHT PAGE] perhaps a rare rainless evening of excellecnt block-lioght collecting, though rain finally interrupted work.* It rained all night and the next morning. Obviously an extrememlt life zone (Cherrapunji nearly has an annual average of 426 inches!) 2,000 specimens

*Rain began about midnight ---------------------------------------------------------

STOP 14- PYNURSLA ASSAM X-I-61

Short stop at 1360 M. elevation. Grassy, rolling hills dropped sharply into a tremendous canyon with forested slopes. Collected on the borderline between the grass and the steep, bushy slopes of a ravine. Weather cool, suny, and slightly breezy. 1,000 specimens ---------------------------------------------------------

STOP 15 - SHILLONG, ASSAM X-2-61

Camped one night in town, surrounded bu Cryptomeria trees, Lantana, and planted garden plants.

[Left page]

Pines nearby. Weather cool, partially cloudy, and rainy (part of the time).

100 specimens 4,900 ft. ___________________________

STOP 16 - 12 MI. S. SHILLONG, ASSAM. X-3-61

A one-hour stop in a small stream valley of grass and granite rock. Slopes covered primarily with pine trees and, where cut over, with vegetables of various sorts.

Elevation 1660 M. Weather warm and sunny. 500 specimens.

____________________________

STOP 17 - CHERRAPUNJI, ASSAM X-3-61

Afternoon stop at the rainiest spot in the world on a rare, clear, sunny day. Breezy on the hills, still and hot in the creek ravines. Collected in the rolling

[Right page]

grassy fields overlooking an immense forested gorge. Grassy slopes of the plateau dropped suddenly toward a steep cliff where the vegetaion changed to dense bushes and cloud forest. Some exposed granite rock.

Elevation 1310 meters.

Some collecting late in the afternoon in the cloud forest itself. Forest temperature cooler than field temperature.

700 specimens.

______________________________

STOP 18 - 4 MI. N. CHERRAPUNJI ASSAM X-3-61

A night and morning stop in a grassy field bordered by a dense cloud forest. Weather remained clear all night; morning warm and sunny. Moonless evening excellent for moths at the black light. Countryside similar to that of Cherrapunji itself.

Elevation