Vegetation of the Himalaya. 317 



whole distance the mountain sides are lined with dense forests ; except 

 in the early morning, an almost perpetual mist hangs over the trees, 

 which collect and throw down from their foliage an abundant supply of 

 moisture. On emerging from the dry belt of tropical forest, the ascent 

 commences at once up a dry ridge, covered at first with the same 

 species as grow upon the plain, species of Bombax, Terminalia ; 

 Sterculia, Emblica, Duabanga, Alstonia, Gmelina, Bauhinia and 

 others are abundant, with many figs, some species of Artocarpus, 

 and a proportion of bamboos. By degrees a vegetation characteristic 

 of mountain tracts, but still tropical, takes the place of those just 

 mentioned. A Gordonia is extremely abundant, with numerous 

 euphorbiaceous trees allied to Mappa, various species of Garcinia, 

 the toon {Cedrela toona or serrata), a variety of mimoseous trees, 

 arboreous species of Vernonia and Helicia, beautiful Bauhinise both 

 erect and scandent, the latter climbing to the tops of the highest trees 

 with a trunk nearly as thick as a man. The road runs along the 

 top, or on one side of the ridge, looking down into deep valleys full 

 of the densest forest. If we leave the road to enter into these dark 

 and moist hollows, we find that there are occasionally small tracts 

 of flat land along the banks of the streams, which however, more 

 frequently run through deep ravines, clothed-with dense thickets of 

 shade-loving trees, species of laurel, alder, magnolia, being mixed with 

 the giant figs, which often form a great part of the forest. In these 

 more shady places the plantain and tree fern luxuriate, and a dense 

 brushwood covers the ground. Not unfrequently large tracts are 

 covered with thickets of Calamus, a prickly palm which attaches 

 itself, by long hooked flagelli to the trees, and often presents a formi- 

 dable barrier to the traveller who tries to penetrate into its recesses. 

 The trunks of the trees are often clothed with a dense mass of Pothos, 

 and of the huge-leaved Scindapsus, conq)letely encircling them all 

 round, and converting them into leafy columns, while the wide- 

 spreading branches of the higher trees bear a profusion of Orchideap, 

 which overspread them even to the very top, and, when in flower, 

 have a most gorgeous effect. 



In shady valleys, as low as 2000 feet, appear the first specimens 

 of oaks and chestnuts, which in the equable temperature of such 

 places, descend much further on the mountain slopes than in the 

 more arid and variable climate of the western Himalaya. 



On attaining an elevation of about 6000 feet, the vesfetation has 

 become temperate. The purely tropical forms have almost entirely 

 disappeared, and in their place the forest abounds in trees of tem- 

 perate climes. Species of Oak, Holly, Cherry, Laurel, Rhododendron, 

 Styrax, and Magnolia, of gigantic size, form the forest, densely 

 covered with mosses and orchideac, and with an underwood of species 

 of Berberis, Daphne, Lonicera, many species of Vitis, and smaller 

 species of bamboo than those of the tropical region. Ferns are a^ 

 such elevations extremely abundant. tr 



