NATURALIST IN INDIA. 117 



CHAPTEE VII. 



Hill Stations as Sanitaria — Departure for the Plains — Indian Encampment 

 and Marching — Sand Grouse — Antelope — Birds of Passage — Wild Ani- 

 mals — Sediment carried down by the Indian Rivers — Chenab — Great 

 White Heron — Little Cormorant — Quail, Snipes, their Migrations — 

 Black-winged Falcon — Jhelum — Battle-field of ChiUianwallah — Eawul 

 Pindee — Munikyala Tope and Coins — Scenery— The Goral or Himalayan 

 Chamois — Climate — Flora — Geology — European Birds — Hot Months — 

 Eaven — Black Ibis — Bald-headed Eagle. 



The naturalist may contimie his out-door studies on the 

 Sub-Himalayan ranges until the middle of June, when the 

 monsoon sets in, and renders travelling very difficult, and 

 often impossible. At times it raias uninterruptedly for days. 

 Vapour-charged clouds often envelope the mountain-tops, 

 while a few hundred feet below the sun is shining brightly ; 

 it is like walking out of the densest London fog into an 

 Italian sky. This is particularly evident at the sanitarium 

 of Simla, and even on the lower hUl stations. All are evi- 

 dently too high for invalids ; in fact, we have overdone our 

 good intentions in sending them from the torrid plains to the 

 region of clouds and storms; a lower elevation is clearly 

 indicated, where the temperature is more equable aU the year, 

 and the weakly removed from injurious influences of the 

 humid atmosphere of midsummer. 



Eapid movements consequent on march are against 

 making anything like' close observations regarding the 

 natural history of a country, nor is the midnight tramp 



