20 THE HIGHLAITDS OF CENTEAL INDIA 



gradually being absorbed as tbey are in the vast mixture 

 of races composing modern Hindiiism; and a grave 

 problem remains unsolved in the question of our duty 

 towards these races as a Government. What I have to 

 say on these points will find a place fiirther on. 



The region is also remarkable as forming the meeting- 

 ground of some forms of vegetable and animal life, which 

 seem to be characteristic of North-eastern and South- 

 western India. The principal forest-tree of upper India 

 is the Sal {Shorea rohusta), a tree whose habit it is to 

 occupy, where it grows at all, the whole area, almost to 

 the exclusion of others. It thus forms vast forests in the 

 lower Himalaya, and covers also the greater portion of 

 the hilly region to the south of the Gangetic valley. From 

 the latter tract it stretches along the table-land of the 

 subdivision of Bengal called Chota Nagpiir, and thence 

 extends into the Central Provinces in two great branches 

 separated by the open cleared plain of Chattisgarh. The 

 southern branch reaches as far as the Godavari river, and 

 the northern embraces the eastern half of the highlands I 

 have described, both branches ceasing almost exactly at 

 the eightieth parallel of east longitude. To the west of this 

 the characteristic and most valuable forest-tree is the 

 Teak [Tectona grandis), which is not found at all in Northern 

 India, or Bengal, and but scantily in the Central Provinces 

 to the east of 80° longitude. The Teak tree is, however, 

 not so exclusive in its habit of growth as the Sal, appearing 

 rather in the form of scattered clumps among other forms 

 than as the sole occupant of large areas. 



Some explanation of this peculiar disposition of these 

 two timber trees may perhaps be found in their habits 

 of growth and relation to various soils. The Sal is a tree 

 possessed of a remarkable power of propagating itself, 

 shedding an enormous number of seeds, at a season (the 

 commencement of the rains) when the usual jungle fires 

 have ceased, and which sprout almost immediately on 

 their reaching the ground. On the other hand, the Teak 

 seeds after the rainy season, and the seeds themselves are 

 covered by a hard shell, which must be decomposed by 

 long exposure to moisture and heat before they wiU ger- 



