54 DR. HOOKER'S MISSION TO INDIA. 
very barren soil, covered with low jungle, the original woods being ap- 
parently eut for fuel. Our elephant, a timid animal, came on a drove of 
camels in the dark by the road-side, and in his alarm insisted on 
doing battle, tearing through the thorny jungle, regardless of the 
Mahout, and still more of me: the uproar raised by the — 
was ridiculous, and the danger to my barometer imminen 
Feb. 11th.—Left Bahra at day-light for Sheegotty, snm Mr. Wil- 
liams and his camp were waiting our arrival. erever cultivation 
existed the crops were luxuriant, but generally the soil was very barren, 
yielding only about half a dozen species, to any ten square yards of 
ground. These were Olax scandens, two Zizyphi, Acacia Catechu (?) and 
Carissa Carandas, the Olax climbing over the other bushes. The climate, 
however, was warmer, and certainly moister, for I observed dew for the 
first time this morning. The above plants were characteristic of the 
bad soil: the good was very richly cultivated with Poppy (1 had not 
seen it before) Sugar-cane, Wheat, Barley, Mustard, Rape, and Flax. At 
a eco a field of Poppies looks like a green lake, studded with white 
ter-lilies. The houses, too, are better and have tiled roofs. In such 
d the road is lined with trees of Borassus, Ficus, Phoenix, and 
Acacia, Bombazx, Melia, Sapindus, and Mango. Another wilderness 
intervenes before reaching Sheegotty, the largest town since leaving 
Burdwan, and where we arrived at noon 
A review of the ground gone over is j Monidi unsatisfactory in a 
botanical light, except in showing how potent are the effects of a dry 
climate abd; soil upon vegetation. At another season, very many more 
species of plants might be obtained; but during the rains the jungles 
of Bahar and Birhoon, though far from tropically luxuriant, are singu- 
larly unhealthy. 
Ina geographical point of view, the range is of great interest, as 
being the north-east portion of the chain that crosses the peninsula from 
the gulf of Cambay to the junction of the Ganges and Hoogly, a 
Rajmahal. This range runs south of the Soane, and further west south 
of the Nerbudda river, dividing the valley of that river from the 
Taptee. The Rajmahal hills have generally been considered the north- 
east termination of the Vindhya; but I can show this opinion to be 
erroneous, the latter range bounding the Nerbudda and Soane on the 
north, running parallel to this, and terminating on the Ganges at 
Chunar. The two ranges are, also, especially at their eastern division, 
