h, notably the Plaine des Joncs in the north and a large
tract of the peninsula of Ca-Mau, are little else than marshes. Besides
a great number of small coastal streams there are four other rivers of
secondary importance, all of which water the east of the colony, viz.
the Don-Nai, which rising in the Annamese mountains flows west, then
abruptly south, reaching the sea to the west of Cape St Jacques; the
Saigon river, which flowing from north-west to south-east passes Saigon,
the capital of the colony, 12 m. below which it unites with the Don-Nai;
and the two Vaicos, which join the Don-Nai close to its mouth. These
rivers flow into the sea through numerous winding channels, forming a
delta united by canals to that of the Mekong. The waterways of
Cochin-China communicate by means of natural or artificial channels
(_arroyos_), facilitating transport and aiding in the uniform
distribution of the inundation to which the country owes its fertility.
Canals from Chau-Doc to Ha-Tien and from Long Xuyen to Rach-Gia join the
Mekong with the Gulf of Siam. East of Cape St Jacques the mountains of
Annam come down close to the sea; west of that point, as far as the
southern headland of Ca-Mau, the coast-line of Cochin-China runs
north-east to south-west for about 160 m. in a straight line broken only
by the mouths of the Don-Nai and Mekong. From Cape Ca-Mau to Rach-Gia it
runs north for a distance of 120 m., then north-west as far as Ha-Tien,
where the boundary line between it and Cambodia meets the sea.

_Climate and Fauna._--The climate of the country is warm, humid, and
very trying to Europeans. The wet season, during which heavy rain falls
almost daily, lasts from April to October, coinciding with the
south-west monsoon. The hottest period lasts from the middle of April to
the middle of June, the thermometer during that time often reaching 94
deg. F., and never descending below 86 deg.. The forest regions of
Cochin-China harbour the tiger, panther, leopard, tiger-cat, ichneumon,
wild boar, deer, buffalo, rhinoceros and elephant, as well as many
varieties of monkeys and rats. Of birds some species of parrakeet, the
"mandarin" blackbird, and the woodcock are not found in the rest of
Indo-China. Duck, teal, cranes and other aquatic birds abound in the
delta. Venomous reptiles are numerous, and the Mekong contains
crocodiles.

_Agriculture and Industries._--The cultivation of the rice-fields, which
cover large extents of the plains