other forest trees, and the natives strip it of its bark, which they
use to poison streams. It seems to have some narcotic or poisonous
principle, easily soluble in water, for when put in any quantity in a
stream or piece of water, it causes all the fish to become apparently
paralyzed and rise to the surface, where they float about quite
stupified and helpless, and become an easy prey to the poaching
'Banturs' and 'Moosahurs' who adopt this wretched mode of fishing.

Along the banks of the streams vegetation gets very luxurious, and
among the thick undergrowth are found some lovely ferns, broad-leaved
plants, and flowers of every hue, all alike nearly scentless. Here is
no odorous breath of violet or honeysuckle, no delicate perfume of
primrose or sweetbriar, only a musty, dank, earthy smell which gets
more and more pronounced as the mists rise along with the deadly
vapours of the night. Sleeping in these forests is very unhealthy.
There is a most fatal miasma all through the year, less during the hot
months, but very bad during and immediately after the annual rains; and
in September and October nearly every soul in the jungly tracts is
smitten with fever. The vapour only rises to a certain height above the
ground, and at the elevation of ten feet or so, I believe one could
sleep in the jungles with impunity; but it is dangerous at all times to
sleep in the forest, unless at a considerable elevation. The absence of
all those delicious smells which make a walk through the woodlands at
home so delightful, is conspicuous in the sal forests, and another of
the most noticeable features is the extreme silence, the oppressive
stillness that reigns.

You know how full of melody is an English wood, when thrush, blackbird,
mavis, linnet, and a thousand warblers flit from tree to tree. How the
choir rings out its full anthem of sweetest sound, till every bush and