NATURALIST IN INDIA. 29 



Now and then the sun breaks out strong and fierce, the 

 atmosphere hecoming laden with vapour from the dank soil. 

 Then it is that sickness appears, and cholera sweeps over the 

 land. It has, however, seldom time to seize many victims 

 before the cold weather begins, and the climate becomes cool 

 and healthy. 



Dr. Maury, in his Physical Geography of the Sea, says, 

 with reference to the formation of monsoons — " They evapo- 

 rate, from the Bay of Bengal, water enough to feed with rains, 

 during this season, the western shores of this bay, and the 

 Ghauts range of mountains. This range holds the relation to 

 these winds that the Andes of Peru hold to the south-east 

 trade-winds — it first cools, and then relieves them of mois- 

 ture, which they tumble down on the western slopes of the 

 Ghauts." 



