PART 3.] 
Hoehstetter, Geology of JSuiobars. 
71 
‘ The hills of the northern islands arc to a great extent only covered with grass, those of 
the southern, however, chiefly with a thick forest vegetation. This distinction rests upon an 
essential difference in the composition of the ground. The hills of the northern islands 
consist of a sterile argillaceous soil, those of the southern islands, on the contrary, of a fertile 
calcareous, sandy-argillaceous soil.’ 
‘Where the most favorable tropical climate could produce nothing else, but stiff and dry 
Lalang-graas (Imperata), and rough Cyperacece (Scleria, Cyperus, DiplaeeumJ, surely there 
nature has clearly enough left the stamp of sterility, yet just between such grassy hills, 
which from a distance look so homely I'csembling fields of com, have the colonists on the 
Nancowry channel built their houses and gardens. The grass grows now high enough above 
their burial grounds; the breakers play with the bricks with which they built the houses; 
gardens and fields, every path has disappeared. On Car-Nicobar I saw these grassy plains 
partially cut down, because the natives use the grass for thatching their houses, and on 
Kamorta large strips were in flame.’ 
The grass vegetation, says Rink (loc. cit., p. 136), which to the greatest extent covers 
these islands, is, in the valleys at the base of the hills, very thick and high; it becomes 
however, higher up thinner and shorter. On the places which are sufficiently damp many 
soft grasses may occur rich in juice ; hut on the tops of hills, where the dry magnesian 
elaystone locally penetrates through the scanty layers of soil, and is also partially covered 
with a coarse ferruginous sand, while the showers of rain carry all the finer particles which 
may he produced by decomposition into the valleys, there, as a rule, only dry and rough 
siliceous Or ami neat and Cyperacece are to be met with. 
The area which nmy, therefore, in future he successfully cultivated is that of the southern 
islands, composed of sandstone and slate, producing a fertile argillaceous sandy soil. On 
Little and Great Nicobar with the small islands Pulo Milu and Kondul, the hilly land 
may be estimated at nearly two-thirds of the total area. These islands are therefore in point 
of colonization the most important, and a comparison with Ceylon and Pulo Penang 
shows what could prosper where now impenetrable primeval forest covers the whole surface. 
‘ Primeval forest .—This is of great extent, and the coast inhabitants of Great Nicobar 
tell of the existence of a wild tribe, forest-men, (“jungle men”), with long hair, inhabiting 
small huts or trees and living upon honey, roots and game. But no European eye has yet 
sighted these forest-people.’ Dr. Hoehstetter describes in vivid language the evermore forest- 
clad parts of Great Nicobar, which were visited by some of the party along the deeply 
indented water courses and ravines. 
TV. — Springs, Streams and Pivers. 
The annual rainfall of the Nicobars is unknown. But very likely it is considerable; 
I think 100 inches is an exaggeration, because the two seasons, usually distinguished,—the 
dry one during the north-east monsoons between November and March, and the wet one 
during the south-west monsoons between April and October,—are not so strictly separated 
on these islands as on the neighbouring continent, and according to present experience 
showers are also not rare during the dry season. The driest month of the year may be 
March. We had, during our stay on and round the islands, in this month only three times 
rather heavy showers of rain. In April they become more frequent, until in Slay and June 
the south-west monsoon rolled constant and heavy clouds over the islands. 
If, therefore, peculiar geological conditions do not facilitate a rapid flowing off of the 
rain, the islands cannot have in general a want of water. And of this we coidd convince 
ourselves, inasmuch as the end of the dry season was unfavorable for the quantity of water 
in streams aud rivers. Even the smallest islands, like Pulo Milu and Kondul, though 
their small streams hardly had any water flowing, still had an abundance of fresh water 
in the numerous basin-like depressions of their beds. From the forest-clad heights of 
Tillangchong still r-ippled out everywhere spring water. The numerous streams and 
rivers of the southern large and woody islands, Little and Great Nicobar, possess 
abundance of w r ater all the year round. But the northern island, as far as the argillaceous 
beds extend, appears to be deficient in water; this specially is the case on Nancowry, 
Camorta, Trinkut, and probably also on Terressa and Bompoka. I found the small 
streams on Nancowry and Camorta, leading into the Nancowry haven, perfectly dried 
