f)flhe Southern Mahratta Country. 297 



great wall. The sun, now nearly vertical, produces a painful 

 glare, and every living thing is overcome by the oppressive heat, 

 not even the hum of an insect being heard. 



The sandstone tract occupies all the northern parts of the dis- 

 trict. It commences to the east of Gudjunderghur ; whence it 

 extends north to the Kistnah. Its southern boundary runs from 

 Gudjunderghur through JuUeal and Konoor to Pursghur ; 

 whence this tract extends, with some interruptions, north to the 

 Kistnah, and north-west to Gokauk, Padshapore, and into the 

 Kolapore country. Within this tract, however, are many ex- 

 tensive plains of cotton ground. The sandstone hills are inva- 

 riably in long ranges, the general direction of which appears to 

 be north-west and south-east. Many of the valleys between 

 these ranges possess a soil of pure sand, the debris of the neigh- 

 bouring hills. The hills are generally bare ; and where they 

 possess a slight covering of soil, produce only a few stunted 

 shrubs, consisting principally of cacti, mimosas, and the cassia 

 auriculata. 



Another range of hills of much less extent than the sandstone 

 hills, and which could not be included in any of the above di- 

 visions, deserves to be noticed in the physical geography of the 

 district. It is called the Kupput-Good-Range. It consists of 

 granite and schists ; and extends from near Guduk, in a south- 

 east direction, as far as the Tumboodra. Were it not for this 

 range of hills, the cotton ground plains would extend uninter- 

 ruptedly from the southern extremity of the district to Gudjun- 

 derghur and Konoor. 



Five rivers water this district, viz. the Kistnah, the Tumboo- 

 dra, the Gutpurba, the Mulpurbah, and the Wurdah. The 

 two first are by far the most considerable, and form the northern 

 and southern boundaries of the district. The three others are 

 reduced to comparatively small streams in the hot season. , They 

 all take their rise in the Western Gauts. Besides these, there 

 are numerous streams, or nullahs, as they are called, the most 

 considerable of which is the Beyny nullah, which has its source 

 among the hills in the neighbourhood of Miscrecottah, flows 

 northward through the black plains, and falls into the Mulpur- 

 ba. Most of these nullahs arc dried up in the hot season. 

 These rivers and nullahs, except in the western parts, are 



