40 MISS L. 8. GIBBS ON THE FLORA AND PLANT FORMATIONS 
left and ran steeply over prostrate trunks of trees with ascending branches, 
just as Low described them in 1852 (3. 13), to the Kadamaian, which 
dashed past at a terrific pace. The Pakapaka cave, really a huge rock with 
an inclined face, was perched just above the edge of the torrent, and this 
rock, with a zulap, formed our camp. 
It was a gorgeous afternoon. The sacred fowl cooking on the sacred 
hearth simply smoked the cave out, and the only other level place to be 
found for writing up notes and labelling plants was a rock in the middle of 
the torrent, where I worked on till six o’clock, when the sun went in. My 
thoughts often reverted to Haviland and the ten days spent by him, mostly 
in a soaking downpour, in this very spot. It looked lovely now. Plants of 
the heath rhododendron were growing between the rocks in the middle 
of the stream, where, looking up, one had a vision of the bare granite core 
framed by the trees which clothed the banks of the torrent, while, looking 
down, the eye rested on forest-clad slopes. Along the opposite bank, whence 
a path ran down to Kiau, the trees were higher, hanging over the water, among 
them several of Schima brevifolia covered with their white camellia-shaped 
flowers. By. the rock were Polyosma bracteosum with pinkish brown and 
Rhododendron acuminatum with smallish red flowers, and the Phyllocladus, 
the latter shrubby in size, whilst Loranthus sabaénsis spread its yellow flowers 
on Rhododendron ericoides. Behind and beyond the rock R. Lowii was 
growing on its own roots to the height of the other trees, the yellow buds 
just breaking, together with Polyosma Hookeri, with dirty purple flowers, 
Correa-like in shape. After everything was finished and arranged in 
readiness for the ascent next morning, I made my way up the stream to 
where it formed two deep pools one above the other, the steep banks shaded 
with trees on either side, but though I worked over everything carefully 
only one moss, Braunjfelsia scariosa, rewarded my efforts. 
Next day we started a party of seventeen 
only those who volunteered 
being taken, among them the three chiefs and the policemen—for the last 
stage of the ascent. Making our way towards the summit, we passed for 
some distance through sheltered low forest, the trees being perhaps some- 
what smaller and denser ; Vincentia malesiaca and the ugly Aria with the 
sedges already enumerated formed the chief undergrowth, the two former 
growing each in large colonies as described before. 
It was pleasant to emerge from the dank and airless sheltered forest into 
the brilliant sunshine and look over what resembled a dense plantation of 
small symmetrical trees, all of about the same level of 3-4 metres. The 
sun beat down on their flat tops, whose shape proved that the wind must 
sweep over them from all sides to an equal degree. These perfect little 
trees all apparently belong to the species already enumerated for the exposed 
serpentine ridge from Kamburangau. This observation is also confirmed 
