CHAPTER II.
Doomree—Vegetation of table-land—Birds — Lieutenant Beadle — Hot
springs of Soorujkoond—Plants near them—Cholera-tree—Olibanum
—Palms, form of—Dunwah Pass—Trees, native and planted—Wild
peacock—Poppy fields—Geography and Geology of Behar and Central
India—Toddy-palm—Baroon—Lizard—Aurora Borealis—Cross the
Soane—Sand, ripple-marks on—Kymore hills—Rotas fort and palace
—Nitrate of lime—Change of climate—Lime stalagmites, enclosing
leaves—Spiders, &c.—Scenery and natural history of upper Soane
valley —Bhel fruit —Dust-storm —Alligator —Catechu—CocMosper-
m u r n — Leaf-bellows — Scorpions — Tortoises — Florican— Limestone
spheres—Coles—Tiger-hunt—Robbery.
I n the evening we returned to our tamarind tree,
and the next morning regained the trunk-road, following
it to the dawk bungalow of Doomree. On the way I
found the Ccesalpinia paniculata, a magnificent climber,
festooning the trees with its dark glossy foliage and
gorgeous racemes of orange blossoms. Receding from
the mountain, the country again became barren; and
no palms or large trees of any kind appeared. The
spear-grass abounded, and a detestable nuisance it was,
its long awns and husked seed working through
trowsers and stockings.
Having rested the tired elephant, we pushed on in
the evening to the next stage, Baghoda, arriving there
at 3 a .m ., and after a few hours’ rest, I walked to the
Feb. 1818. VEGETATION OF BELCUPPEE. 23
bungalow of Lieutenant Beadle, the surveyor of roads,
sixteen miles further.
At 10 a .m . the sun became uncomfortably hot, the
thermometer being 77°. I had lost my hat, and possessed
no substitute hut a silken nightcap; so I had
to tie a handkerchief over my head, to the astonishment
of the passers-by. Holding my head down, I had
little source of amusement but in examining the footmarks
on the road; and these were strangely diversified
to an English eye. Those of the elephant,
camel, buffalo and bullock, horse, ass, pony, dog,
goat, sheep and kid, lizard, wild-cat and pigeon, with
men, women, and children’s, naked and shod, were all
recognisable.
I t was noon ere I arrived at Lieutenant Beadle’s, at
Belcuppee (alt. 1219 feet), glad enough of the hearty
welcome I received, being very hot, dusty, and hungry.
The country about his bungalow is very pretty, from
the number of wooded hills and large trees, especially
of banyan and peepul, noble oak-like Mahowas, Mangos,
and Figs. These are all scattered, however, and do not
form forest, such as in a stunted form clothes the hills.
Insects and birds are numerous, the latter consisting
of jays, crows, doves, sparrows, and maina (Pastor);
also the Phoenicopliaus tristis (“ Mahoka ” of the
natives), with a note like that of the English cuckoo,
as heard late in the season.
I remained two days with Lieutenant Beadle, enjoying
in his society several excursions to some hot
springs, and other places of interest, in the neighbourhood.
These springs (called Soorujkoond) are situated