.- THE SUB-TROPICAL ZONE. 167 



all the intermediate phases of vegetation are seen at a 

 glance. Except in the Himalaya this is no common phe- 

 nomenon, and is owing to the very remarkable depth of the 

 river-beds/' 



Descending from the mountains and passing over some 

 of the hills which gradually lead us down to the plain, we 

 traverse beautiful forests of Chestnut, Walnut, and Filbert- 

 trees; or our road takes us perhaps for miles through a 

 magnificent forest of Cedars ; and in the neighbourhood of 

 some village we meet with " groves of Apricot-trees/' for 

 which fruit the bears, of which there are numbers in the 

 Himalayas, have a great penchant, as the villagers often find 

 to their cost. 



The district round Delhi is adorned in summer with 

 Acacias of different kinds, Tigs, Mulberries, etc. etc. ; and 

 the Palms called Phoenix hiimilis and Phoenix sylvestris 

 appear in place of the Date-palms we left near the Mediter- 

 ranean. The uninteresting country we meet with when we 

 reach the level plains is a great contrast to the sights we. 

 leave behind -, we soon grow weary of a thick jungle of 

 tall grass and reeds, all matted together with shrubs and 

 creepers ; and we are afraid to go near the thorny masses of 

 tangled Rose-bushes, as this is a favourite lay of tigers. 



