10 Ornithological Observations in the Sutlej valley, [No. 1, 



larger than on either the higher or the lower elevations. The fauna on the 

 whole much resembles that of Kunawar, though many of the southern species 

 of birds, insects, &e., are here more abundantly found than they are met with 

 in the eastern provinces. Specially common and characteristic for the climate 

 of the summer months are Splwmocercus sphenwrus, Muscicapida supercillia/ris, 

 Hemichelidon fuliginosus, Pomatorhinus erythrogmys, Troclialoptervn variegatum, 

 Ahrornis xomtlioscUstos, Pyrrhula erythrocepMla, Pericrocotus brevirosfris, Gal- 

 lophasis allocristatus, and many others. In winter several species of the 

 paring RUTiciLLiNiE, accentorin,e and others are here more abundant than 

 on the lower ranges. 



The Indian character of the flora and fauna becomes prevalent the more 

 we proceed southward, and the more we descend to lesser elevations. At 

 the Wangtu bridge, the base of the Sutlej valley is only about 5,000 feet 

 above the sea-level ; at Eampoor (the principal town of Bissahir, east long. 77°, 

 45' ; north lat. 31°, 26') scarcely 4,000 feet ; below Kotegurh about 3,000 feet ; 

 and thus rapidly decreases until it is reduced in the vicinity of Belaspoor 

 (long. 76°, 48' ; lat. 31°, 23) to almost 1,000 feet. The climate of these lower 

 portions of the valley is in some respects peculiar, but on the whole much 

 resembling that of Northern India, especially of the Punjab. 



There are several indications, that the valley has formerly been better 

 populated, than it is at the present time. The reasons of the decrease of the 

 population seem principally to rest in the change of the climate, which most 

 probably was effected by the destruction of the arboreal vegetation. The 

 characteristic tree of the lower elevations is the Pinus longifolia, but there can 

 be little doubt that the Cedrus deodara was formerly much more common ; both 

 these trees, and especially the latter, appear to have been at an early period very 

 much reduced in number, and in consequence of this the influence of the periodi- 

 cal rains and of the rapid changes of the weather soon became sensibly felt. The 

 heavy showers have, after a lapse of a comparatively short time, washed away 

 all the unprotected soil and left behind them bare rocks. Again, on account of 

 the want of arboreal vegetation, the temperature in the shade during the summer 

 often rises in the narrow parts of the valley to 90, and sometimes even above 

 100 degrees, hot winds being in the months of May or June in the neighbour, 

 hood of Eampoor not uncommon. We may justly say that there is a kind of 

 interruption in the growth of the vegetation twice in a year, during the winter 

 and partially also in the hot season. This is no doubt a great impediment to 

 the cultivation of cereals as likewise of all other kind of plants and has, 

 therefore indirectly a great influence upon the inhabitants of the country in 

 general. We thus gradually come to the conclusion, that the devastation of 

 the forests has, indeed, a great deal to do with the final depopulation of a hill- 

 tountry, because the irregularities of the weather, its rapid changes and ex- 

 tremes, when they once come into operation, are every year increasing, and 

 soon create almost insurmountable difficulties to agricultural cultivation. 



