26 THE HIGHLANDS OF CENTRAL INDIA. 



where primitive rocks, or sandstones, or lateritic beds pre- 

 dominate. Thus I believe that the Sal, where the soil is suit- 

 able, that is where there are no trap rocks, has exterminated the 

 "Teak, of which it is a natural rival. In other parts of India, 

 where the Teak does not meet with this rival, as in Malabar 

 and Burma, it flourishes on the soils from which it is here 

 excluded by the Sal. The general conclusion appears irresist- 

 ible, but sharp contrasts perhaps best illustrate such peculi- 

 arities. Many such might be mentioned, but two in par- 

 ticular are very noticeable. Within the Sal region, in the hills 

 immediately to the east of the town of Mandla, there is a 

 considerable area covered by Teak, to the total exclusion of the 

 Sal. The whole of this region is composed of a trap overflow ; 

 and all around it, as soon as the granitic and lateritic forma- 

 tions recommence, the Sal again entirely abolishes the Teak. 

 Again, within the area of the trap and Teak, in the valley of 

 the Denwa river, 150 miles west of the furthest limit of the 

 general Sal region, is found a solitary isolated patch of the 

 latter, occupying but a few square miles. Here the Sal grows 

 on a sandstone formation. It is surrounded on three sides by 

 trap rocks, and there it entirely ceases, and is supplanted by 

 the Teak as the principal timber tree. But how to account 

 for this small and unimportant outlier of the great Sal belt ? 

 To maintain our theory, some link to connect them together 

 should be found. I think that a hypothesis, much less 

 extravagant than many which are introduced into such argu- 

 ments, will do so. Towards the fourth side of the Sal patch 

 in the Denwa valley lies the great open plain of the Narbada 

 into which the sandstone formation extends, and passes on 

 along with primitive rocks, and with little interruption from 

 the trap, right up to the main body of the Sal forest at the 

 head of the Narbada valley. The Sa], it is true, ceases in the 



