44 THE WORLD OF LIFE CHAP. 



of the world (p. 42) indicate, so far as possible, the actual 

 numbers of the species now existing in collections, and, for 

 purposes of comparison, require certain allowances to be 

 made. 



Burma and Indo-China are much less known than Penin- 

 sular India, yet in a smaller area each has a considerably 

 larger number of species ; while the Malay Peninsula, which 

 is more completely forest-clad, is in proportion to its area 

 still richer, due mainly to its more equable equatorial 

 climate. The following table of the chief natural orders is 

 taken from Mr. Hemsley's Introduction to the Flora of 

 Mexico and Central America : 



BRITISH INDIA (17,000 species) 



1. Orchideae . . 1060 



2. Leguminosae . . 831 



3. Gramineae . . 800 



4. Robiaceae . . 611 



5. Euphorbiaceae . . 624 



6. Acanthaceae . . 503 



7. Compositae . . 598 



8. Cyperaceae . . 385 



9. Labiatas . . 331 



10. Urticaceae . . 305 



11. Asclepiadeae . . 249 



12. Rosaceae . 218 



The sequence of the orders is taken from Sir J. Hooker's 

 Sketch of the Flora of British India, a most interesting and 

 instructive pamphlet published in 1906, but the numbers of 

 species are inserted from Mr. Hemsley's work dated 1888. 

 Since then the total numbers have increased from 13,647 to 

 1 7,000, about one-fourth, so that the above figures will have 

 to be increased in that proportion ; but they will have 

 increased unequally, as shown by the fact that the orchids 

 are estimated by Sir J. Hooker at 1600. 



There is apparently no other extensive region as varied 

 in soil and climate as British India, in which Orchids occupy 

 the first place in the sequence of the orders. This is due to 

 their great numbers in Burma, but even more to the fact 

 that in the whole range of the Himalayas epiphytic Orchids 

 extend far into the temperate zone, while in the more 

 eastern ranges they are pre-eminently abundant. This is 

 well shown by the well-explored district of Sikhim, in which 

 Orchids take the first place, not only in the tropical lowlands, 

 but in the temperate zone from 6500 to 11,500 feet above 

 the sea-level. It is possible that in some parts of the tern- 



