1922.] Birds of J Jiang Dist rid . 263 



The prominent trees o£ the district are few in number. 

 The most abundiint and most useful is the Kikar {Acacia 

 arahica). The next most uhiUKhuit species is the Shisham 

 (Daldergia sissu)^ usually iissociated with cultivation. 



The (late-palm {Plurnix dart i/Jif era) grows luxuriantly on 

 the hanks of the Jhehun and below the junction of the (Jhenab 

 and Jheluin ; elsewhere it is rare. 



Of the more stunted forms of tree, the most noticeable are 

 the Ber (Zizyphus jiijuba), the Jand or Jant {Prosopis 

 spici</era), the Jal (^Salvadora oleoides), and the Tamarisk 

 {2\unarix articulata). 



Amongst the semi-desert flora may be noticed the wild 

 Caper (^Capparis apliylla), the Uck [Calotropis gigantea), and 

 various small plants such as the Camel-thorn and the " Lana " 

 {ISueda and Salsola spp.j. 



The Sarkhana grass [Saccliarum munja) is a great feature 

 of the district, patches of it often extending for miles. As 

 fodder and in the manufacture of articles connected with 

 villaoc life its uses are innumerable. 



The climate of J hang is similar to that of the remainder of 

 the south-western Funjal>. In the winter the cool, bright 

 days, the cold nights, and the crisp, fresh mornings are 

 exceedingly pleasant; about March the weather grows 

 perceptibly warmer, till April and May culminate in the in- 

 tense burning discomfort of June and the period that precedes 

 the rains which break about July. The discomfort of the hot 

 w^eather does not, however, cease until September, and the 

 cold weather proper only begins towards the end of October. 

 For the most part the nights are fairly cool, and afford some 

 relief after the heat of the day. The rainfall is very light, 

 10 inches being about the average for the year. It may be 

 noted that the monsoon of 1917 was abnormally heavy, the 

 amount of rain falling being actually the heaviest on record 

 with an excess of -\ 20°!^ for the whole of the plains of India. 

 The year 191b was^ on the other hand, unusually dry, with a 

 partial failure of tlie monsoon. During 1919 weather con- 

 ditions were on the whole normal. 



Commuuications within the district are exceedingly bad, 



