Birds of Lucknow. 475 



A characteristic of Ouclh is its mango-groves [Mangifera 

 indica), which are so numerous that they give an appearance 

 of the horizon being bounded by a continuous forest. 

 These groves, being in most cases free from brushwood and 

 undergrowth, harbour no game^ but afford cool retreats to 

 man and beast in hot weather. 



Another special feature of the Division is the presence of 

 usar plains. These lands, being full of efflorescent salts, 

 rendering them incapable of cultivation, are arid wastes, pro- 

 ducing scanty herbage^ on which the black-buck {Antelope 

 cervicapra) is always to be found. Mr. Reid, in discussing 

 the possibility of utilizing these tracts, says : — "The Arabian 

 date-palm would probably grow on them, and would be an 

 invaluable tree in famine times, as its fruit would not then be, 

 as it usually is, destroyed, when ripening, by excessive rain. 

 It would require some little attention at first^ until its long 

 straight root got deep into the soil : after that no tree is 

 more capable of taking care of itself.^^ 



It is said that these saline plains encroach on the adjoining 

 arable land, but the increase of the area under cultivation 

 causes me to be sceptical as to the truth of this statement. 



The Division is practically a dead level, but towards the 

 Gogra in the north, and the Ganges in the south, there is 

 a gentle, but perceptible, slope. 



" These silent highways have much in common. They are 

 more or less fringed with tamarisk [Jhao^ and grass jungles, 

 resorted to by numerous nilgai [Boselaphus tragocamelus] 

 and pigs \^Sus indicus^ ; the Gangetic porpoise [^Platanista 

 yungdica] is found in both ; tortoises and crocodiles [CVo- 

 codilus palustris and Gavialis gangeticus] abound, and, 

 excepting the Black Partridge [Francol'mus vulgaris], which 

 does not, so far as I know, occur withiu our limits in the 

 vicinity of the Gogra, the avifauna of the one river is common 

 to both." 



I fancy that Gogra is here a misprint for Ganges, as I 

 found the Black Partridge occurring in the "manjar^"' or 

 " khadir^' at Fyzabad, but 1 do not know of its being found 

 on the Ganges. 



Besides these two, the only river of any importance is 



