FORESTS OF MYSORE DISTRICT 



Creepers, pleasing to the eye, are likewise absent, 

 while those which strangulate trees, and are by no 

 means objects of beauty, are very common. One 

 handsome climbing lily, the Gloriosa superba, is, 

 however, found in light forest tracts, its fantastic 

 crimson and yellow blossoms often appearing at 

 a height of six or eight feet above the ground. 



On the whole, the forests cannot be considered 

 rich in floral gems, though there are some flowers 

 worthy of notice to be found in them. One feature 

 in the flora of these forests is the great preponder- 

 ance of species of the natural order Leguminosse. 



Butterflies some of them very large and con- 

 spicuous are to be seen in numbers in suitable 

 localities and under proper conditions ; but, though 

 they doubtless exist, and would be found if diligently 

 sought for, showy beetles do not as a rule obtrude 

 themselves upon the notice of the casual observer,' 

 though now and then he may come across one 

 which may seem to him worthy of preservation. 



Chief amongst the human inhabitants of the 

 forests are the Kurrabas a shy, timid race, living 

 entirely in the jungles, and subsisting in great part 

 upon honey, roots, and fruits gathered in the forests 

 by themselves and at no expense, assisted by grain 

 and tubers raised by them in clearances made in 

 the forests, and by the flesh of wild animals secured 

 by various primitive devices. 



The origin of the Kurrabas is shrouded in 

 mystery. It is impossible to state whether they 

 are, or are not, an aboriginal tribe. It is probable 

 that until the creation of the Forest Department 



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