172 THE HIGHLANDS OF CENTRAL INDIA 



volcanic beds at tlie level of the great southern plain of 

 the Deccan. The extent of level plateau is thus much 

 diminished, on the one hand by the ramifications of the 

 drainage system, and on the other by the higher ranges, 

 and the long sloping valleys which connect them with the 

 plateau. 



I have called this volcanic region also the region of the 

 teak tree in Central India. It is so generally, but, strictly 

 speaking, the teak tree does not actually confine itself 

 to the trap formation ; nor, on the other hand, is the teak 

 the only, or even the principal, timber tree of the trap 

 country. No such close lines of distinction exist in nature, 

 but the coincidence is, I think, sufficient to warrant the 

 inference of some link of connection between them. More 

 or less, teak is scattered all over this region, but the 

 principal forests are found clinging to the skirts of the higher 

 ranges rising from the general level of the plateau. The 

 more extensive level portions of the country have long 

 been cleared of jungle for purposes of cultivation, and for 

 a long way around these settlements the forests have 

 been hacked down into mere scrub for the common require- 

 ments in timber and fuel of the people. The outer slopes 

 of the plateau, towards the lower plains, have also been 

 long ago swept of all valuable teak ; and, moreover, from 

 their sterile nature, have probably at no time produced 

 any large quantity of timber. Even in the higher and 

 more secluded tracts, where forests of teak yet remain, 

 the causes already referred to have now reduced the 

 number of mature and well-grown trees to a very small 

 proportion of the whole, so small that in few places are 

 there more remaining than will suffice to reproduce the 

 forests by their seed in a period of fifty to a hundred years. 

 Everywhere the teak grows very much in patches inter- 

 mixed with other species, the principal hardwoods of 

 which in these forests are the Saj (Pentaptera), the Bijasal 

 {Pterocarpus), the Dhaora (Conocarpus), and in a few 

 locahties the Anjan {Hardwickia). Many other species 

 have been observed, of which a list will be found in an 

 Appendix. 



The mature teak tree of Central India attains a girth 



