42 FAUNA ANTIQUA SIVALENSIS. 



only lead to a disquisition on the general formation of the 

 dhoons or valleys lying between the Sewalik hills and the 

 great chain, which the limits of this communication will not 

 admit, and must be left for future inquiry. It will be suffi- 

 cient to state, that the general form of the mountains ap- 

 proaches more or less to a right angle, the long slope being 

 covered with vegetation, and the crest terminating in a per- 

 pendicular and generally mural cliff, which descends into the 

 beds of the torrents. The scenery from these cliffs is most pic- 

 turesque, and many of the passes or ghats up the torrents are 

 bounded by gigantic walls of sandstone, varying both in height 

 and character, and subject to all the tortuosities dependent on 

 a river's course, forcing its channel through a complication of 

 mountains. This effect is considerably heightened by the 

 pointed and jagged style of the outline, depending on that 

 abundance of clay and carbonate of lime throughout the whole 

 formation, which permits even the shingle-beds to hold up 

 their pointed summits in the wildest manner imaginable. At 

 places, a perfectly inaccessible needle of shingle raises its 

 head far above the others, and is crowned by one solitary fir 

 tree, Pinus longifolia. This conical form, produced in the 

 clays by weathering, is sometimes magnificently displayed, by 

 the whole face of a cliff, consisting of light pink, yellow, and 

 blue clays, being externally decorated with small conical spires 

 of the clay from top to bottom, a height of 1,000 feet from the 

 bed of the river. The origin of this structure is due simply 

 to a little coping stone, of some harder material than the 

 matrix of the strata, and upon which the weather does not 

 act so rapidly as vipon the clay. Under a bright sun, the 

 beauty of these cliffs, with their illumined pinnacles, is exqui- 

 site ; particularly westward of the Jumna. I have before 

 adverted to the presence of great abundance of lime, forming 

 stalactites, and the cement of the sandstone and conglomerate. 

 There is another striking method of deposition on the surface 

 of the large stones which lie in the beds of the rivers, and 

 which, during the greater part of the year, are in contact 

 with the water. The substance is very similar in appearance 

 to the coarse brown paper made in this country : and is pro- 

 duced by the water, while washing the stone, depositing its 

 lime, and entangling the finer particles of vegetable matter, 

 sand and mica, until the stone acquires a superficial coating 

 of a brownish yellow colour, which on removal resembles the 

 substance before mentioned, 



JVIanukmow, near Suharunpoor : 

 June 30, 1835. 



