Chap. I.] general sketch of area. 5 



From that point the country has a gradual fall southward and south- 

 westward towards the valley of the Cauvery. 



The low country occupies, as a glance at a map cannot fail to 

 show, by far the larger portion of our area, and though much less 

 diversified in surface than the hilly country, yet shows consideraljle 

 variety of aspect, these variations in physical features coinciding in 

 great measure mth the changes in geological structure. 



The greater part of the low country is occupied by rocks of sedi- 

 mentary origin, resting on the metamorpliic rocks, of which the en- 

 tire mountain country is formed. 



The portion of the low country lying to the westward of the 



Madras and Trichinopoly road, north of a line 

 Features of low country. 



di'a\vn from the foot of the Kalroyenmullay 



through Kullakurichi and Tiagar to the same road near Arsinoor, may 



be described as a great plain sloping very gently to the east, and 



almost every where covered by jungle. The jungle, though often 



scrubby and open, is sometimes so thick as completely to hide the 



numerous villages scattered through it, and to render it necessary to 



have guides."^ This plain is divided into two portions by the Pun- 



niar river, north of which the general level is broken by the most 



southerly members of the Ging-ee hill group before referred to, and 



by a few isolated hills lying at the east end of the Chungama Pass 



and to the north-east of the Kalroyen range. With the exception of 



three or four isolated hills lying close to the foot of the mountains, 



the plain south of the Punniar is broken only by a few very low 



rocky hills, such as the Panshar and Chengad hills near Tiagar Droog, 



and the Cunatur and Thendrencotta pagoda hills near to the Madras 



road. 



Besides these, the plain is diversified only by occasional masses 



and ridges of rocks, such as those around Yellavanasur, which rarely 



* Game is rather abundant in this jungle, and Icopurfls, tigers, and other carnivora 

 Bomctimes stray as far as the Great Trunk Eoad. 



( 2£7 ) 



