BRITISH HONDURAS. 329 



The front lands, along the so-called " Mosquito Coast," are 

 low and swampy, and the country rises gradually until the high 

 land at the back of the colony is reached. The northern part 

 of the colony forms a plain of about 1,000 square miles. In the 

 south are several ranges of hills rising up to 3,700 feet. 



The prevaiHng type of formation is tertiary with underlying 

 strata of granite, quartzite and carbonaceous shales, sandstones 

 <nnd limestones cropping up in detached ranges. The river 

 valleys contain rich alluvial soil known as the Cohune ridges. 

 They are the home of mahogany, cedar and logwood, and they 

 also contain the chief agricultural areas. Between these valleys 

 are large stretches of country covered with dry gravelly or sandy 

 soil supporting scattered patches of pine trees and low palms. 

 Further inland are elevated savannahs and open grassy country. 



Numerous rivers descend from the interior mountains to the 

 sea, and the bulk of the transport is done by water ; the rivers 

 are, however, navigable only for some distance. There are said 

 to be no roads, and some 60 per cent, of the country is pronounced 

 inaccessible, so that the timber supplies must remain so until 

 the colony has been opened out by adequate means of transport. 



Considering its position the colony has a moderate climate. 

 The temperature at Belize ranges between 62 and 90 degrees. 

 Sea breezes prevail during the greater part of the year. The 

 average rainfall at Belize is about 81 inches. The dry season runs 

 from the middle of February to the middle of May. There is rain 

 during every month of the rest of the year. The heaviest falls 

 occur during September, October and November. 



2. Types of Forest Growth. 



Unfortunately not nmch accurate information is available as 

 regards the forests of British Honduras. This is all the more to 

 be regretted as the colony is the chief source within the Empire of 

 the true mahogany, and also because Honduras, with British 

 Guiana, may one day become an important factor in the supply 

 of hardwoods generally in the Empire. Many of the trees in the 

 colony are as yet known only by their local names. The following 

 notes on the forest vegetation are, therefore, very restricted. 



Mahogany {Swietenia Mahogani) is said to produce the best 



