342 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XVII. 



This table shows distinctly the differences in the distribution of the 

 flowering periods between the plauts of the various orders, and there 

 must, no doubt, be a reason why so many representatives of the Mal- 

 vaceae, Leguininosse, GraminacetB, and especially of the Composite 

 are observed flowering during the dry season. Whether it is due to a 

 special anatomical structure of those plants, or to a certain adaptation to 

 insects, I am not able to say. 



We now proceed to examine the flora and the climatic conditions of 

 another vast area, viz., of North- West and Central India. Dr. Brand is' 

 object in writing his forest-flora was, '"'to give an account of the 

 arborescent vegetation in the forest tracts of Pan jab, the North West 

 Provinces, and of those forests in the Central Provinces which are 

 situated on the Maikal and Satpura range of mountains." 1 Here, 

 again, the author himself may describe the geographical boundaries of 

 the flora. " The northern limit," he says, " may be defined as the 

 arid treeless zone of the inner Himalaya ; while to the south the territory 

 is bounded by the open forestless plain which skirts the Maikal and 

 Satpura range from Bilaspur and Berar. The western limit is the 

 Panjab frontier along the foot of the Suliman range ; and eastward the 

 territory is bounded by a broken line, which follows the Nepal frontier, 

 first along the Kali river, and, afterwards, parallel with the foot of 

 the Himalaya, until it touches the great Gandak river. From that 

 point, a straight line drawn in a south-south-westerly direction through 

 Benares to Amerkantak and Bilaspur may be regarded as the eastern 

 boundary. Between the British territory of the Panjab and the North- 

 West Provinces in the north, and the Central Provinces in the south, 

 intervene the large and important native states of Rajputana, Malwa, and 

 Bundelkhand, and as the arborescent vegetation of these States is very 

 similar to that of the surrounding British territory, they have been 

 included as far as possible. Most of the trees and shrubs of Sindh, and 

 of the forest tracts of Guzerat, in the vicinity of the Mhye river, and 

 south as far as the Mandevi forests on the right bank of the Tapti, are 

 noticed. 



" The northernmost point is the head of the Kaghan valley, drained 

 by a tributary of the Jhelam, in lat. 35° ; and the forest tracts furthest 

 west are the Belas, along the Indus in Sindh, in long. 68°." - 



1 Brandis' Forest-Flora of North- West and Central India. Introduction. 

 ■2 Brandis. I.e. 



