Madagascar

On the eastern coast, the mouths of the rivers form lagoons, bordered by a series of spits, and often of considerable extent. By cutting about 3o m. of canal to connect them, a continuous waterway could be formed for 27o m. along the coast. This has already been done for about 55 m. between Ivondrona and Ando voranto, a service of small steamers forming part of the com munication between the coast and the capital. Besides these la goons there are some very extensive lakes in a recent geological epoch. Of the largest of these, the Alaotra lake, in the Antsi hanaka plain, is the relic ; it is about 25 m. long. Next comes Kinkony, near Maroambitsy bay (north-west coast), about i6 m. long, and then Itasy, in western Imerina, about half as large. There is also a salt lake, Tsimanampetsotsa (south-west coast), about as large as Alaotra, and numerous crater lakes, and lakes behind a lava-dam.

Climate.

Madagascar has, on the whole, a tropical climate, but climatic differences result from differences of altitude and slope, the contrasts being in a longitudinal sense, between the west and east coasts. There are two clearly-marked seasons, one warm and rainy, from November to April, the other dry and cool, from April to November. The influence of the south-east trade winds is felt over the whole island, but, whilst it brings rain in a fairly constant manner to the east coast (3 metres to 3 metres 5o, and 164 rainy days), on the west the wet and the dry seasons are very distinct, the type of climate being governed by the alternation between the trade-wind and the monsoon. (Average rainfall at Majunga r metre 5o from October to April). Cyclones are fairly frequent on the east coast from January to March. Temperature for the whole island varies between 554° F and 95°. (Tamatave, February 8o°, July 68° ; Majunga 7o° and The south and south-west coasts have a sub-desertic climate, with an annual rainfall of 35o millimetres. The east coast is particularly unhealthy, because of its marshes. The west coast has great variations of temperature, but the centre is suit able to Europeans, because of its mild and healthy climate.

Fauna.—The plateau is too bare to have much animal life, but the forests and coastal plains are well stocked. Many species have a limited range, and there are no large mammalia, but the island is headquarters of Lemuroidea, no fewer than 39 species of which are found in its forests and wooded plains. Some of these creatures are highly specialized, while the curious aye-aye (Chiromys madagascariensis), has a genus and family by itself. Other peculiar animals are 23 species of the Centetidae, a family of the Insectivora almost confined to Madagascar. There are several small civets (Viverridae) ; the largest, also forming a genus and family by itself, is Cryptoprocta ferox, 3 ft. long, but like an enormous weasel. The mammals show Asiatic rather than African affinities. The island contains 25 species of bats, mostly of African, but some of Indian, affinities. African humped cattle were introduced several hundred years ago, and now exist in large herds all over the country. The fat-tailed sheep, goats and swine have also been naturalized, as well as all kinds of domestic poul try.

The avifauna, although wanting the largest birds as well as the most brilliantly-coloured, comprises 26o species, half of which are endemic; many belong to peculiar genera, and some are so iso lated that new families have had to be formed for their reception.

The island contains two or three small species of boa; croco diles abound in the rivers and lakes; and numerous species of lizard, chameleon and tree-frog inhabit the woods. Madagascar may be considered as one of the headquarters of the Chamaele onidae, with 25 of the so known species, some with spines and horns. There are several peculiar tortoises, but the gigantic spe cies are now found alive only on the little island of Aldabra, to the north. The insect life comprises many brilliantly-coloured

beetles, butterflies (about Boo species of which are known), moths, locusts, spiders and flies, and also noxious spiders, with scorpions and centipedes. The river fishes belong chiefly to the family Chromididae; many of them are of brilliant and bizarre appear ance, with strongly contrasted colours in bands and spots.

As a whole, the Madagascar fauna is marked by a strong in dividuality, which would appear to be the result of long isola tion from the other zoological "regions." The fauna of Mada gascar corroborates, according to its palaeontological evidence, the hypotheses put forward by the geologists.

Flora.---A

belt of forest follows the coast-line, and is denser on the east than on the west, where it is often reduced to scattered clumps of trees on savannah-like plains; while in the south-west, where the rainfall is very scanty, the vegetation is largely of fleshy-leaved and spiny plants—aloes and cacti (the latter intro duced), with several species of Euphorbia, as well as lianas, one of which (Intisy) yields india-rubber. The abundant epiphytes, the tree-mosses, the filmy ferns and the viviparous character of many of the ferns, show clearly how abundant the rainfall is in the east. Forest occupies only 13.5% of the total surface, or about 8 million hectares. This contains many hard-wooded and valuable timber trees, including species of IV einmannia (Lalona), Elaeocarpus (Voanana), Dalbergia (Voamboana), Nuxia (Vale nirana), Podocarpus, a pine, the sole species in the island (He tatra), Tambourissa (Ambara), Neobaronia (Harahara), Ocotea (Varangy) and probably ebony, Diospyros sp., etc. The follow ing trees are characteristic of Madagascar vegetation, some of them being endemic, and others very prominent features in the landscape; the traveller's tree (Urania speciosa), with its enor mous fan at the top of a tall trunk, and affording a supply of pure cool water, every part of the tree being of some service in build ing; the Raphia (rofia) palm (Sages raffia); the tall fir-like Casuarina equisetifolia or beef wood tree, very prominent on the eastern coast, as well as several species of screw-pine (Pandanus); the Madagascar spice (Ravintsara madagascariensis), a large for est tree, with fragrant fruit, leaves and bark; a beautiful-leaved species of Calophyllum; and the Tangena (Tang/zinia veneni flua), formerly employed as a poison ordeal. On the lagoons and lower reaches of the rivers the Viha (Typhonodorum lindley anum), an arum endemic to Madagascar, grows in great profu sion to a height of 12 or 13 ft., and has a white spathe more than a foot in length; and on the western coast dense thickets of mangrove line the creeks and rivers. In the interior rivers is found the curious and beautiful lace-leaf plant (Ouvirandra fene stralis), with an edible tuberous root. On the western side of the island, the baobab, the tamarind, the retra (Eugenia sp.), the rofia palm, and several species of fan-palm (Hyphaene) and of Ficus are prominent ; and the mango (introduced) grows to a large tree. In the generally bare interior highlands, large trees, species of Ficus, often mark the position of the old towns; and some of these, as Ambohimanga, Vehilena, etc., are surrounded by remnants of the original forests, which formerly covered large portions of the interior. The most prominent tree in the central province is now the Cape-lilac (Melia azederach), introduced about 1825; and, since the French conquest, several species of eucalyptus have been planted in vast numbers by the road sides. In the eastern forests, palms, bamboos, lianas and tree-ferns, as well as species of Dracaena, are found.