est composed mainly of tall evergreen
_sal_ trees (_Shorea robusta_). These trees grow so close together
that the forest is difficult to penetrate, especially after the rains,
when the undergrowth is dense and rank. Very beautiful is the Bhabar,
and very stimulating to the imagination. One writer speaks of it as
"a jungle rhapsody, an extravagant, impossible botanical _tour de
force_, intensely modern in its Titanic, incoherent magnificence."
It is the home of the elephant, the tiger, the panther, the wild boar,
several species of deer, and of many strange and beautiful birds.

Whether from the flat plains or the gently-sloping Bhabar, the
mountains rise with startling suddenness.

The flora and fauna of the Himalayas differ from those of the
neighbouring plains as greatly as the trees and animals of England
differ from those of Africa.

Of the common trees of the plains of India--the _nim_, mango, babul,
tamarind, shesham, palm, and plantain--not one is to be found growing
on the hills. The lower slopes are covered with _sal_ trees like the
Bhabar. These cease to grow at elevations of 3000 feet above the
sea-level, and, higher up, every rise of 1000 feet means a
considerable change in the flora. Above the _sal_ belt come several
species of tropical evergreen trees, among the stems and branches
of which great creepers entangle themselves in fantastic figures.
At elevations of 4000 feet the long-leaved pine (_Pinus longifolia_)
appears. From 5000 to 10,000 feet, several species of evergreen oaks
abound. Above 6000 feet are to be seen the rhododendron, the deodar
and other hill cypresses, and the beautiful horse-chestnut. On the
lower slopes the undergrowth is composed largely of begonias and
berberry. Higher up maidenhair and other ferns abound, and the trunks
of the oaks and rhododendrons are festooned with hanging moss.

Between elevations of 10,000 and 12,000 feet the silver fir is the
commonest tree. Above 12,000 feet the firs become stunted and dwarfed,
on account of the low temperatures that prevail, and juniper and birch
are the characteristic trees.

There are spots in the Himalayas, at heights varying from 10,000 to
12,000 feet, where wild raspberries grow, and the yellow colt's-foot,
the dandelion, the blue gentian, the Michaelmas daisy, the purple
columbine, the centauria, the anemone, and the edelweiss occur in
profusion. Orchids grow in large numbers in most parts of the
Himalayas.

Every hillside is