MAMMAL SURVEY OF INDIA. 685 



well planted with trees, otherwise the surrounding country is similar 

 to the last two. Thanks are due to Lt.-Col. C. J. Windham, the 

 Resident, for assistance when I was at Mount Abu. 



Sirohi is situated in the S. W. of Rajputana between the 

 parallels of 24=-20' and 25^^-17' N. latitude 'and 72'^-r6' and 78^ 

 10' E. longitude; it has an area of 1,964 square miles. It is 

 bounded on the N. E., N. and W. by Jodhpur; on the S. by 

 Palanpur and Danta; on the S. E. by Idar and on the E. by 

 Udaipur. The country is much broken up by hills and rocky 

 ranges. The main feature is the almost isolated mountain of Abu, 

 the highest peak of which, Guru Sikhar, rises 5,650 feet above sea- 

 level. 



The whole of Sirohi is occupied by schists and gneisses belong- 

 ing to the Aravalli system traversed by dykes of granite. Mount 

 Abu is formed of a highly felspathic, massive and crystal line 

 gneiss with a few schistose beds. On the slopes and round the 

 base of Abu the forests contain a great variety of trees and shrubs. 

 Among the most common are the bamboo (Bendrocalamus strictus), 

 the mango (jSIangifera mdicci), two or three species of Ahao 

 (^Anogeissus latifulia and fendula, etc.), the bel (jEgle marmelos), 

 the haldii (Adina cordifolia), the siris {Alhizzia lebheJi^, the jsanun 

 (Eugenia jambolana), the kachnar (Bauliinia purjnirea), the timru 

 (JDiospyros tomentosa), the semal ( Bombax onalaharicum^, the 

 dhaman (Greivia oppositifolicC), the rohira (^Tecoma undulata), the 

 phaludra (Erythrina arborescens), the aonla (Plvyllanthus emblica) 

 and the horse-radish tree (Moringa concanensis). 



"The annvral rainfall at Abu averages between 57 and 58 inches. 

 Abu is 3,800 feet above sea-level." 



(The above information was extracted from the Gazetteer). 

 Almost all the collection in this neighbourhood was made at Uria, 

 a small village about 5 miles to the N. E. of Abu at an altitude of 

 a little over 4,000 feet above sea-level, and situated almost at the 

 top of a pass Ij^ing close to the western slope of the Guru Sikhar 

 Mountain. Large trees are not numerous, but are dotted about 

 among the low jungle which forms the principal cover and is in 

 places more or less dense, but always broken up into clumps by 

 rocks or grassy glades. The soil resembles clay and is very firm. 

 Cultivation is scant, a little wheat, barley and bajri being gil-own. 

 The immense granite rocks are much eaten away on the under- 

 surface, to such an extent in individual cases that it is no uncom- 

 mon sight to find rocks resembling gigantic mushrooms and arches 

 of fantastic design. 



Some distance below my camp was a small stream running for a 



short distance and then again disappearing; this was the only 



surface water I could find. I watched this stream assiduously and 



found that surprisingly few animals drank there. Undoubtedly a 



5 



