88 THE HIGHLANDS OF CENTRAL INDIA. 



tropical forest of low-lying equatorial regions. Forests 

 like those of Southern Africa and the littoral countries 

 of Asia, with their close array of giant trunks, dense 

 canopy of vegetation, impenetrable underwood, gorgeous 

 flowers, and mighty tangled creepers — 



From branch to branch close wreaths of bondage throwing. 



are unknown in these central regions of India ; and 

 their character is rarely approached save in some 

 occasional low moist valley, where the axe of the 

 woodcutter has not penetrated, and the stagnation of 

 some stream has united with the heat of a close valley 

 in giving to the vegetation a more truly tropical 

 character. Indeed, but for the preponderance of yellows 

 where rich reds and browns should be, and the rare 

 appearance of a palm or other eastern form, most of 

 these low forest tracts migrht be taken after December 



O 



for a late autumn scene in a temperate climate. Nothing 

 is more striking than the absence of brilliant flowers, 

 which, contrary to popular idea, are far more characteristic 

 of temperate than of tropical regions. The Palas (Butea 

 superha) is almost the only tree in our forests which 

 possesses really bright colouring. 



When an elevation of about 2,000 feet (above the 

 sea) had been attained, the character of the scenery 

 began to change. Vertical scarps of the red sandstone 

 which forms the higher plateau began to rise into view 

 at every turn of the path, which now plunged into 

 narrow and gloomy glens, following the boulder-strewn 

 bed of a small stream. The dried and yellow grasses 

 and naked tree stems of the loyver . slope gave place to 

 a green vegetation thickly covering the soil, and in 

 places almost meeting overhead. The moist banks of 



