FLOWERING SEASON AND CUM ATE. 343 



Brandis divides the whole area into four great climatic zones. The 

 first includes the entire arid region of India, viz., South-Panjab, Sind, 

 the States of Buhawulpoor, Khyrpoor, Bikanecr, Jessulmia, and the 

 greater part of Marwar. Here the rainfall is scanty and uncertain, and 

 the atmosphere is dry almost throughout the whole year. The second 

 zone includes the whole northern dry country. Comprising the plains 

 of north and north-east Paniab (except the Sub-Himalayan tract), Delhi. 

 Ajmeer, Gwalior, Bhurtpoor, Jeypur, and Meywar, it surrounds on the 

 north aud east the arid region and forms a belt from 100 to 200 miles 

 wide. The normal annual rainfall is between 15 and 30 inches. A heavy 

 monsoon and rainfall of more than 60 inches per annum characterises 

 the western end of the ncrth-eastern moist zone. It includes the coast 

 of Burma. Bengal, the Sub-Himalayan tract, but only a narrow belt 

 extends into the area of Brandis' flora, comprising part of the Gorakh- 

 pur and the Northern Oud forests, the Siwalik tract, the Doons, and 

 the outer ranges of the North-West Himalaya. The fourth zone com- 

 prises part of the extensive intermediate region, which includes Central 

 India, a large portion of the North-Indian plains, and that part of the 

 Himalaya which stretches between the outer moist belt and the inner 

 arid region of Tibet. 



The best method to be adopted would be to describe the four zones 

 separately with their respective floras and climates, because, only in 

 this way we would be able to obtain the wished-for exact results. But 

 everybody acquainted with Brandis' valuable book will understand that 

 it is a thing of impossibility to put together from the rich information 

 it gives the plants belonging to each zone, and even if possible, one 

 difficulty could not be overcome, viz., to find out the exact period of 

 flowering iu the different climatic regions. Of local floras, covering 

 parts of North -West and Central India, only two are known to me. 

 Murray described, 1881, " The Plants and Drugs of Sind" in one 

 volume, but no notes as regards the flowering season are given. The 

 other book by Duthie describes the flora of the Upper Gangetic Plain 

 and of the adjacent Siwalik aud Sub-Himalayan tracts, which will be 

 treated of later on. 



Thus, nothing is left, but to give as many meteorological statistics as 

 are necessary for a fair average of the whole area and to add from 

 Brandis' flora the flowering periods, which are, as is generally admitted. 

 reliable, though not yet complete. 



