FLORA OF THR ANAIMATAITS, Ries - 2S 
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the fall recorded at. Mount Stuart (2,250 feet) averages: but 60-inches, On 
the higher ranges in the central massif the precipitation is again. higher 
but no record of the actual fall is available. At Attakatti (3,000 feet) at 
the centre of the northern slopes the average is about 80 inches. Towards 
the East precipitation diminishes very rapidly and on the © plains near.. the 
“ débouchement ”’ of the Amaravyati the fall is only 18 inches, the greater 
part of which is received during the north-east monsoon in October ‘and 
November. In the central and western parts the rains ‘begin usually 
before the middle of June and the heaviest fall is in J uly ; somewhat legs 
is received in August and comparatively little in September, between the 
two monsoons. Inthe latter half of October and the first’ half of 
November heavy precipitation again occurs. From Decamber to June 
only occasional showers are experienced yielding only a few inch?s for the 
whole period. é 
The temperature curve is the reverse of that which indicates the vain- 
fall, that is to say, subject to the influance of elevation, the. temperature 
is high where the rainfall is low and low where the fall is great. 
On the high-level plateaus the temperature is delightful in the warn 
and dry months and distinctly cold and bracing from. December to Fel: 
ruary, but the climate is marred by frequent dense, chilly mists. 
The whole range has.a bad reputation for malarial fever. As susual, 
this is an exaggeration, but undoubtedly the foot of the hills and the lower 
valleys are to be avoided, especially in the dry season, from March to May. 
‘Hill tribes. Four distinct tribes of hill-men inhabit the Anaimalais. 
The Kadirs are probably the best knowa outside the locality since they 
are the most primitive and tha most interesting ethnologically. Among 
them the front teeth of the males are filed to a point when they reavh 
adolescence. As a general rule they have no settled abodes or definite 
villages. They wander from place to place in the evergreen forests, ac- 
eording to season, moved b y the dates of maturity of the several wild pro- 
ducts they live on : fruits, Toots, honey, ete. Temporary dwellings are 
constructed wherever convenient; bamboo huts with watertight roofs of 
leaves or grass for the rainy season and for. the dry weather mere lean- 
to shelters consisting of parallelogramic frames of bamboo, thatched with 
leaves or grass, supported at a steep slope by a couple of rough posts. - 
Their cultivation is limited and primitive, being confined to »small 
patches of Hleusine coracana Gaertn. in. temporary clearings along streams. 
They are much addicted to the practice of opium eating. : 
The Pulaiyas are a less unsophisticated and less pleasant race; very 
lazy and very dirty, They have permanent villages which, however, are 
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