MAMMAL SURVEY OF INDIA. 469 



My first camp was made at Junagadh in the State Gardens, almost at the 

 foot of the Girna mountain and exactly in the hne where cultivation ends 

 and forest begins, the latter heire is almost entirely composed of stunted 

 teak. Being just after the rains, and the forest at its best, or for my 

 purpose, its worst, I confined my attentions to the cultivated land intending 

 to return to the neighbourhood of the Girna just before leaving the State. 

 Jowari and bajri are grown extensively here, and I was at once surprised 

 and disappointed to find absolutely no signs of rats or mice near the crops. 

 The natives informed me that there had been no rats for over a year, but 

 could give no reason. Mr. Brook-Fox suggested to me that the rats had been 

 exterminated by a recent outbreak of plague. This solutionis undoubted- 

 ly correct for the conditions were ideal for Tatera, Gunomys, Ejnviys, etc., 

 and in the more isolated parts of the State, such as the Gir Forest and 

 high up on the Girna Eange, rats and mice were moderately plentiful. 



After a short stay here, I moved on to the flat a mile or two below the city 

 where the soil is black cotton and very fertile, and almost every square 

 yard was covered with still standing jowari and bajri, but still small 

 rodents were scarce. 



Keshod. — Lies midway between Junagadh and Verawal. Here collec- 

 ting was carried on under difliculties, owing to the antipathy of the Jains 

 to the taking of life. The country to the east is flat and treeless, with 

 tracts of stony uncultivated land, otherwise cultivation is extensive. To 

 the west the ground is more broken and growth more abundant. Fig 

 trees being very numerous and from them I obtained a few specimens of 

 Epinu/s riifescens. Signs of rats were wanting in the fields, and though the 

 conditions were very favourable for Tatera indica, I could find only two 

 burrows from each of which an occupant was trapped. 



Verawal. — A move was soon made to Verawal, which is on the coast. 

 Limestone begins to show a good deal here and the soil is lighter, signs of 

 small rodents began to appear, but several beats in the only good cover 

 showed a great scarcity of larger mammals, so it was deemed advisable to 

 move at once to Talala, which is just at the edge of the Gir Forest and 

 about 16 miles E.-N.-E. of Verawal. 



Talala. — From Verawal the country is under cultivation and is quite flat 

 until within a few miles of Talala, when a gradual change is observed, the 

 country becoming undulating, grass more abundant and large patches of very 

 stunted teak at more or less frequent intervals. The soil is black cotton 

 and very fertile, producing various crops, but vast areas are covered with 

 long grass. A fine river flows through this part of the country, the banks of 

 which are clothed with trees and bushes. The sub-soil is trap with hme- 

 stone showing in places. Very conspicuous are several groups of Palmyra 

 Palms which yielded a few bats. 



Sasan, Gik Forest. — Sasan is in the heart of the Gir Forest, and a stay of 

 16 days was made. This is the western end of a long range of hills stretch- 

 ing away to the east. Some of these hills are imposing in appearance, 

 thoughnot particularly steep, the highest point being slightly under 2,000 ft. 

 Many are clothed with a succession of teak forests and larger areas of grass 

 which grows in great profusion. On the low ground the forest is mixed with 

 a fair sprinkling of large trees including a good deal of tamarin, though teak 

 still predominates. To the west the valley opens out and there is scanty 

 cultivation broken at intervals by nullahs and waterways, the banks of 

 which are invariably covered with dense jun2;le. The village of Sasan is 

 large but the majority of the inhabitants live by cutting grass and wood. 

 The game observed in the Gir near Sasan was practically nil ; this may be 

 assigned to two causes, the first being the thickness of the cover owing 

 to the extraordinary growth of grass. The second is that last year during 



