8 BURilA, ITS PEOPLE AND PRODCCTIOXS. 



IV. Hill Forests. 



The Drier Hill Forests differ considerably from the damp ones, being composed 

 of low gi'own, and higher up, often crooked trees, while the pines wliieh here appear 

 in force, remove our thoughts from tropical scenery. According to the prevalence 

 of jiinos we might classify these hill forests thus : 



A.-LEAYED FORESTS. 



1. Damp Hill Foresis. 



2. Dri/ Hill Forests. 



B.—CONIFEROVS FORESTS. 



3. Pine Forests. 



Further study of the hill forests may possibly cause a further subdivision, but, 

 for the present pui-pose, I may restrict them to these thi'ce classes only. 



Damp Hill Forests. 



At higher elevations, say fi'om 3000 or 3500 feet and upwards, the tropical 

 forest becomes greatly influenced, not only by greater dampness, but also by a 

 lower temperature. Tree growth is here prodigiously developed, and numerous 

 trees appear which are not represented at lower levels, such as diverse species 

 of oak {Qnercus) and chestnuts, Kyan-za {Castatiea tribuloides, etc.), and other 

 cupuliferous trees, Ternsiroemia Japonica, Buchlandia populnea ; kinds of Tha-bye 

 {Euyenia) different from those of the plains, temperate Laurinem, Oisfodes pnniculata, 

 Thyt-myn (Podocarpiis), etc. Palms become less conspicuous, and there appear 

 numerous small trees peculiar to this region. On the other hand, many trees 

 numerously represented in the hot lowlands disappear now altogether, or become 

 very scarce. These are principally members of Dipterocarpcrr, Meliacetc, Sapindacea 

 (except Acer), Ditleniacea, Stenuliaced, Anacardiacea;, Luthearea, and Snpoiacece. 

 These forests, distinguished as the Damp Hill Forests, in contradistiuction to the 

 Drier Hill Forests, are the least explored in Burma, but they may be considered 

 to form a transition from the true tropical forests to the Dry Hill Forests, which 

 occupy the exposed ridges and sunny slopes of the hills. 



Dry Hill Forests. 



These drier liill forests form the nearest approach to tlie temperate forests of 

 our northern zone, and many an old acquaintance (although specitically different) 

 is met with in them. The trees are for the greatest part still evergreens, in which 

 respect they iliffer greatly from the tnie temperate forests (which occur also on the 

 Higher Alps of India, as on the Himalaya above 8000 to 9000 feet elevation). In 

 aspect they agree with the forests found on the hills of Southern Europe, but are 

 much more damp, and consist of a far greater variety of trees, much clothed with 

 epiphytical plants. The demarcation, however, of this kind of forest from the 

 ■neighbouring damp hill forests, and of this last class from the tropical forests, is 

 often rather arbitrary. 



The trees here represented are chiefly oaks and chestnuts, Kyan-za or Tliyt-ch'i, 

 Ilyrica sapida, Rhododendron anA Vaccinia, Turpinia JVepalensis, Bucklandia popuhica, 

 several species of Si/iiiploros. Tor-let-jiet (species of Euri/a), Anncslea monticola, 

 Pan-ma, {Scliima Noronha), two species of Pi/renaria, Echinocarpus, C'ornui oblonf/a, 

 Diospi/ros mollis, Andromeda oralifotia, Daphntdium caiidafum, Aperula, and several 

 other laurels, Hclicia, Garcinia anomala, Pilhecololiwn montanum, Bon-mO-za 

 {Albiszia siipulata ascended from below) Dilknia aurea, Wendlandia ligustrina, 

 a few araliaceous trees, chiefly Pleptdjjhurum, etc. A fan-palm {Chamarops khasiana) 

 looks rather strange in such a society, and a climbing Ptectocomia ascends upwards to 



