Geographical Distribution 27 



however, there is no evidence. Its disappearance 

 from the intermediate districts is due to its destruc- 

 tion by man and not to natural dying out. ' Cette 

 espece,' he says, ' ne forme point en France de 

 massifs forestiers ; ailleurs, elle n'en constate que 

 tres exceptionellement, toujours subordonnee et peu 

 abondante, a stations tres disjoints. Elle offre tous 

 les caracteres d'une espece en decadence, qui, autre- 

 fois assez repandue, a une tendance manifeste a 

 disparaitre.' 



It grows in the Western Himalaya beyond the 

 Indus and on the Safed Koh at 5000 to 10,000 

 feet. Sir Joseph Hooker found it at Churra in the 

 Khasia Mountains, and at Kala-panee at 5300 feet. 1 

 It does not, as a rule, grow higher than 40 or 

 50 feet, with 7 or 8 to 18 feet of girth. A few 

 trees were observed at Kulu. 2 



Madden, however, records a tree at Gungutri 

 100 feet high and 15 feet in girth; 5 to 6 feet is 

 however the usual size in N.W. Himalaya. 3 

 Gamble measured two trees on Tonglo in Sikkim 

 which gave : 



No. i. Height, 30 feet ; to first branch, 10 feet ; girth, 20 feet. 

 No. 2. 70 30 16 



It also grows in Japan and the Philippine Islands. 

 Mr. W. Robinson informs me that he saw it 



1 Himalayan Journals, p. 268. 



2 E. Balfour, Timber Trees, etc., of India. 



3 Manual of Indian Timbers. 



