758 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XVIII. 



relieved by bright coloured rocks and patches of tillage, but over 

 most of the area brown waving uplands deep in loose sand, broken 

 by nuked peaks, and bordered by bare ridges of low dust-coloured 



1 Yet parts of the country are far from being unpicturesque. 

 Though none of the elevations of Gutch are very great, being 

 "■enorallv under 1,500 feet above the sea, its hills form one of 

 the chief natural features of the Province. Three distinct ranges 

 of hills are traceable in Cutch proper having an easterly and 

 westerly direction. The most northern range overlooks the Kann 

 from near Lukj ut to a point about 28 miles eastward of Bhuj. 

 It form- an irregular chain, and, for the greater part, presents 

 to the north a perpendicular cliff, and to the south an inclined 

 plain. The next called the Gharwar range, parses transversely 

 through the centre of the Province, and is connected with the 

 . north-western extremity, by a cluster of hills. It is 

 made up. partly of sandstone, and parti) of a -dies of strata of slate 

 clay, limestone slate, and slaty limestone. The third, or southern 

 range callel the Don hi Is, has the same general direction as the 

 other two, but is of' smaller extent and consists entire!) ol volcanic 

 materials. A number of isolated volcanic hills arc also scattered over 

 the plain. a c well as in other part of the Province particularly on th< 

 I ordi rs of the Kann, where is situated the hill Db/modbar, the highesi 

 in (hitch (! n?.. feel • die Vagad hills in the eastern part of the dis- 

 trici are a broad group stretching east and west. Thev have many 



te peaks kite principal of which is the Vittroe. A disconnected 

 chain traverses the Kann islands of IVham, Kurreer, Bela, and Ghorar 

 from west to east The most lofty summit occurs at Pacham Peer, 

 rising 1 437 feet above the Itann. The varied and vivid colouring of 

 the rocks add a peculiar charm to the aspect of the country. The three 

 primary colour- with man}' varieties of their compounds arc represent- 

 ed by the rocks as well as their atmospheric debris. "Owing to the 

 oxides of iron, red and yellow prevail; but in some places these are 

 mixed with pale lavender, blue and purple tints and contrasted with 

 intense black or the purest white ; and when any vegetation adds s< me 

 green the brilliancy of the effect becomes very striking. As a rule, 

 the country has warm sienna tints, with red, purple or black rocks 

 nearly always close at hand : while the g rey, purple or orange hills 



i B iniuuy Gazetteer, Vol. v., p. '-. 



