Feb. 1848. ROTAS PALACE. 43 



In the old dark stables I observed the soil to be covered 

 with a copious evanescent efflorescence of nitrate of lime, 

 like soap-suds scattered about. 



I made Rotas Palace 1490 feet above the sea, so that 

 this table-land is here only fifty feet higher than that I had 

 crossed on the grand trunk road, before descending at 

 the Dunwah pass. Its mean temperature is of course 

 considerably (4°) below that of the valley, but though so 

 cool, agues prevail after the rains. The extremes of tem- 

 perature are less marked than in the valley, which becomes 

 excessively heated, and where hot winds sometimes last for 

 a week, blowing in furious gusts. 



The climate of the whole neighbourhood has of late 

 changed materially ; and the fall of rain has much dimi- 

 nished, consequent on felling the forests ; even within six 

 years the hail-storms have been far less frequent and 

 violent. The air on the hills is highly electrical, owing, no 

 doubt, to the dryness of the atmosphere, and to this the 

 frequent recurrence of hail- storms may be due. 



The zoology of these regions is tolerably copious, but 

 little is known of the natural history of a great part of the 

 plateau ; a native tribe, prone to human sacrifices, is talked 

 of. Tigers are common, and bears are numerous ; they 

 have, besides, the leopard, panther, viverine cat, and civet ; 

 and of the dog tribe the pariah, jackal, fox, and wild dog, 

 called Koa. Deer are very numerous, of six or seven 

 kinds. A small alligator inhabits the hill streams, said 

 to be a very different animal from either of the Soane 

 species. 



During our descent we examined several instances of 

 ripple-mark (fossil waves' footsteps) in the sandstone ; they 

 resembled the fluting of the Bigillaria stems, in the coal- 

 measures, and occurring as they did here, in sandstone, a 



