THE GRANARY OF ANTANANARIVO 77 



summits of every hill and mountain, often in dome-shaped or 

 boss-like masses, and in some like titanic castles and towers. 



There is little foliage to be seen except on the top of some of 

 the hills where the ancient towns and villages are built, and in such 

 places a circle of old dvidvy trees and an occasional amdntana 

 tree give a pleasant relief to the prevailing red and ochre tints 

 of the soil, and, in the cold and dry season, to the russet and grey 

 hues of the dry grass on the bare hills and downs. The largest 

 mass of green is at the old capital, Ambohimanga, eleven miles 

 away to the north, where the steep sides of the hill are still 

 covered with a remnant of the original forest, which formerly 

 was doubtless much more extensive in this part of the central 

 province. In the deep fosses which surround old villages there 

 is also often a considerable amount of foliage, as well as in the 

 hollows and along the streams. But it must be confessed that 

 a large extent of Imerina, in common with the rest of the 

 interior, consists of bare rounded down-like hills, very uninter- 

 esting in character ; although towards sunset, in the slanting 

 rays, these hills have a softness of outline in their curves which 

 has a decided element of beauty not to be ignored. 



To the west, from north to south, the prospect is very exten- 

 sive. To the south-west there rises by very gradual slopes, at 

 some thirty-five miles' distance, the mass of Ankaratra, its 

 three or four highest peaks reaching an elevation of nearly 

 nine thousand feet above the sea, and about half that height 

 above the general level of the country. But even at such a 

 distance the summits usually stand out sharp and clear against 

 the sky. Due west and north-west is a considerable extent 

 of comparatively level country, beyond which mountains 

 fifty miles away are distinctly seen on the horizon. In the 

 foreground, stretching away many miles, is the great rice-plain 

 of Betsimitatatra, from which numbers of low red hills, most 

 of them with villages, rise like islands out of a green sea where 

 the rice is growing. Along the plain the river Ikopa can be 

 seen, winding its way northwards to join the Betsiboka ; the 

 united streams, with many tributaries, flowing into the sea 

 through the Bay of Bembatoka. This great plain, " the 

 granary of Antananarivo," was formerly an immense marsh, 

 and earlier still an extensive lake with numerous bays among 

 the surrounding hills ; but since the embanking of the river by 



