HILLS. 15 



valley of the Koel the former disappears^ but the latter is continued by 

 rang-eSj pats and highlands generally through Sirguja and far away to 

 the west. 



As the hills and rivers are described under separate sections below, 



it only remains to refer to the general aspect of 

 Characters of scenery. . • i p 



the area. The scenery is very varied, often 



beautiful, and occasionally grand. Flat plains of wide extent are of rare 



occurrence. But the forest-clad hills, the bold scarps in the highlands 



formed of sandstone, the rocky beds and rapids of the principal rivers, 



and the lofty ranges which bound the view on the south, all combine to 



produce most pleasing effects. Thougli tolerably familiar with most 



parts of the wide area of Chutia Nagpur, I have seldom come 



across a scene more attractive than that presented to my view as I 



entered the Aurunga valley in December. Par- 

 Aurunga valley. • i i -i • ^ co 



ticularly striking were the effects produced by the 



patches of many-tinted cultivation scattered about through the more 

 uniformly coloured jungle which surrounds the irregularly outlined 

 Jugguldugga and Latiahar sandstone ranges. There were scarcely any 

 bare spots to be seen, and though the previous rainfall had been lament- 

 ably insufficient for some of the crops, but little evidence of the drought 

 was to be seen in the greenery and brightness of the jungles at that 

 season. 



• Section 2. — Hills. 



The hills of this area are susceptible of a triple classification which 

 is determined chiefly by the geological structure — 



i«i5.— The oldest and most numerous are those formed of the crystal- 

 line or metamorphic rocks. 



2nd. — Those formed of sandstones or conglomerates. 



Brd. — YhA pats, or plateaux, which are formed of crystalline rocks, 

 with their summits capped with sandstone trap or laterite. 



The 1st class is represented by a great number of hills and ranges, 

 with elevations up to, and sometimes beyond, 3,000 feet. Where not 



( 15 ) 



