42 M1DDLEMISS: PHYSICAL GEOLOGY OF SUB-HIMALAYA. 



picturesque valley through much of its course, and especially in the 

 Upper Siwalik tract. This valley forms a natural highway for 

 Bhootias and other hill-men from the higher parts of the Himalaya, 

 a race of thick-set, swarthy men, with long locks of black hair and 

 Mongolian features ; who, accompanied by their flocks of sheep and 

 goats laden with little bags of borax, red pepper and other products 

 of their simple trade, form a characteristic element in the lands- 

 cape as they slowly make their way down to the plains. It was also 

 until recently a highway for the troops marching to the military stations 

 of R£nikhet and Chaubattia : and in addition much of the timber 

 wealth from the surrounding forests is discharged through it down to 

 Rdmnagar. These facts help out the idea which struck me forcibly, 

 viz., that the valley was once filled by a mightier river than now 

 occupies it ; whilst the connecting Upper Siwalik beds between it and 

 the R3mganga R. seem to point to the hypothesis that a connection 

 between the two rivers once obtained in Upper Siwalik times ; that 

 in fact the Ramganga was once a tributary of the Kosi, and that it 

 has since been gradually diverted from it by earth movements, 



The lower north and south reach of the river, between R3mna- 

 gar and Dikoli, is characterised by broad terraces of Recent gravels 

 rising about 200 feet above the level of the river. They form 

 chaors a mile wide on each bank, with only a low cliff at their base, 

 where the underlying Siwalik conglomerates are displayed. At 

 RcLmnagar the dip in the Siwalik conglomerate is 20 N. W. 

 It trends more west on the opposite side of the Kosi, and gra- 

 dually merges into the S.S.W. dip prevailing still further 

 east along the foot of the hills. A mile west of R£mnagar, in 

 the Chorpcini sot (15) the dip in the conglomerate is E. and E.S.E. 

 at high angles of 6o° and 40 ; so that between Rcimnagar and this 

 sot there must be a synclinal, with axis running about N.N.E. 

 At Ringora parao (16) a continuation of this synclinal is again 

 seen in the low cliffs by the river side. It is very sharp, and 

 is doubtless accompanied by some slight faulting along the axis. 

 To the east of the Kosi in the Suk s6t (17) (joining the Kosi near 



( 100 ) 



