ad 
exlvi 
Constantine and the Aurés from the much larger one which ex- 
tends from the Hodna Mountains westward into Morocco. With 
the exception of the higher mountains there is no forest; the 
vegetation is low, the rocks and hillsides are washed bare, and 
when it rains the water rushes away and cuts in the ground 
deep channels with vertical sides. The rivers thus formed have 
no connection with the sea, but pour their waters into lakes 
which occupy the depressions in the plateau. These Chotts, 
which are a characteristic feature of the country, usually dry 
up in summer and leave a deposit of salt; only near the 
Tunisian frontier and in the centre of the western plateau the 
rivers find an outlet to the sea. The plains of this zone of 
Algeria comprise about 30 million acres, of which a large 
percentage is arable and will no doubt be cultivated as colonisa- 
tion goes ahead. The absence of forests and the consequent 
scarcity of water during the hot summer months are a great 
drawback to the agriculturist; but there is no reason why 
afforestation should not be taken in hand in time to come. At- 
present the western plateau is almost entirely steppe country, 
while the eastern plateau has changed its aspect in recent 
years. When travelling from Batna via Lambessa to Timgad 
and further east to Khenchela, we traverse a district which 
in olden times used to be called the granary of Rome and which 
abounds in Roman remains. Under French rule this country 
is slowly recovering, from the point of view of the economist. 
Farms have sprung up, and broad acres of cultivated land are 
seen. But the farmer has to contend with great difficulties. 
The sudden changes from cold to warm in winter, frosts in 
spring when the vegetation has started growing, long droughts 
in summer, sometimes in several consecutive summers, hot 
dry winds from the desert, and occasional visitations by swarms 
of locusts do not tend to make the country exactly a paradise 
for the farmer. In the western plateau of the provinces of 
Alger and Oran, a large proportion is overgrown with Halfa 
grass, and here and there a suitable depression is sown with 
barley or millet by a nomad whose tents you will find in the 
neighbourhood. Apart from the settlements in places where 
there is a supply of good water, the country appears to a 
European a huge waste-land. The Entomologist, however, 
