Birds of the Indian Hills 



forest composed mainly of tall evergreen sal 

 trees [Shorea robustd). These trees grow so 

 close together that the forest is difficult to 

 penetrate, especially after the rains, when the 

 undergrowth is dense and rank. Very beauti- 

 ful is the Bhabar, and very stimulating to the 

 imagination. One writer speaks of it as " a 

 jungle rhapsody, an extravagant, impossible 

 botanical tour de force, intensely modern in its 

 Titanic, incoherent magnificence." It is the 

 home of the elephant, the tiger, the panther, 

 the wild boar, several species of deer, and of 

 many strange and beautiful birds. 



Whether from the flat plains or the gently- 

 sloping Bhabar, the mountains rise with startling 

 suddenness. 



The flora and fauna of the Himalayas diflFer 

 from those of the neighbouring plains as greatly 

 as the trees and animals of England differ from 

 those of Africa. 



Of the common trees of the plains of India 

 — the nim, mango, babul, tamarind, shesham, 

 palm, and plantain — not one is to be found 

 growing on the hills. The lower slopes are 

 covered with sal trees like the Bhabar. These 

 cease to grow at elevations of 3000 feet above 

 the sea-level, and, higher up, every rise of 1000 



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