133 



FLORA INDICA. 



The district of Coimbator has, like that of Salem, so many 

 peculiar features, as to call for a special notice. It lies oppo- 

 site the great gap in the Peninsular chain already so often re- 

 ferred to, and is conterminous with Malabar. Between the 

 southern slopes of the Nilghiri mountains, and the northern 

 face of those of Travancor, there is interposed a space of about 

 thirty miles in width traversed by low hills. Across that de- 

 pression, the south-west monsoon has almost a free passage 

 to the eastward ; but the great elevation of the mountains on 

 both sides, and the absence of any considerable hills in the 

 district, cause the monsoon wind to pass over without depo- 

 siting much of its moisture, and, though the climate is humid, 

 the rain-fall is very trifling. During the north-east monsoon 

 again, the high hills of eastern Mysore and those of the Salem 

 district intercept a considerable portion of the moisture which 

 would otherwise reach this district. Coimbator is thus re- 

 markable for the very small annual amount of rain, which is 

 not more than twenty-one inches. 



The district of Taujor, which comprises the delta of the 

 river Cavery, appears to i)resent no remarkable features be- 

 yond those common to all tropical deltas. Its climate is 

 more humid and cool than the remainder of the Carnatie, 

 chiefly owing to the swampy soil. 



The extreme southern portion of the Carnatie, including the 

 districts of Madura and Tinnevelly, is separated from the re- 

 mainder by a lofty transverse range of mountains, which runs 

 from west to east, passing to the south of Dindigal. These 

 moimtains, which at their eastern extremity, where they arc 

 called Pulney (Palnai) mountains, are 6000-8000 feet in height, 

 gradually diminish in elevation to the eastward. About five 

 miles south of Dindigal the Serroo Mullay (Sent Malaya) 

 hills, rise to 3500 feet, and the range sinks, about twenty 

 miles to the eastward of Dindigal, into the plain of the Car- 

 natie. This range of hills insulates in a very remarkable 

 manner the districts to the south of it, which ai'c sheltered 

 from the south-west monsoon 1)\ the high, mountains of Tra- 

 vancor on the west, and from the nortli-cust monsoon \i\ this 



