372 ME. W. T. THIBELTON DTEE S B"EPOBT 



Fandanus. Of Balanophora one species was obtained, and a 

 pretty species of Aristolochiacea? ; but both went in tbe confla- 

 gration. I have seen in tbe bands of tbe natives a species of 

 wild mangosteen ; tbe capsules were very thick, with almost no 

 fleshy pulp. Tho natives eat the former, and throw away the 

 latter. Of palms, only cocos, Areca, Forassus, and Sago were 

 seen ; neither Eucalyptus, phyllode-bearing Acacias, Melaleuca, 

 Casuarinas, nor Melastotnacece were met with, and no sandal- 

 wood. 



" Timor-Laut seems, from our present rough survey, to have 

 great affinities with the Moluccan (Amboina) region ; perhaps 

 more than with the Timor group. The Insecta seem very closely 

 to resemble those of Amboina ; but the Lepidoptera and 

 Coleoptera are excessively few." 



Mr. Forbes's botanical collections (in the absence of more 

 definite localities) were presumably made in Larat and Yamdena. 

 They have not proved, on examination, so interesting as the 

 zoological specimens brought back by him. But this may, no 

 doubt, be attributed in great measure to the unfortunate accident 

 by which so large a proportion of his dried plants appears to have 

 been destroyed by fire. Still, in the face of our total ignorance 

 of the nature of the flora of the group, it seems desirable to put 

 on record a list of the species actually determined, even if it must 

 be admitted that the general facies of the vegetation they indi- 

 cate is somewhat common-place. A more thorough investigation 

 of the forest of the interior than Mr. Forbes could perhaps afford 

 time for would very probably yield more interesting results. 



The determinations in the following lis?t of species have been 

 made by Prof. Oliver, F.K.S., who has added a few notes on such 

 species as appear of more special interest. One of these is closely 

 allied to a Queensland plant, and another belongs to a genus 

 hitherto regarded as endemic in New Caledonia. As far, there- 

 fore, as the gathering indicates any distinctive peculiarities in the 

 flora, they are with countries to tbe west of the Malayan archi- 

 pelago. It is noteworthy in this connection that Mr. Sclater 

 finds the affinities of the avifauna to be preeminently Papuan, 

 with only a slight element from Timor*.— [W. T. T. D.] 



* Proc. Zool. Soc. Feb. 20, 1883, p. 56. 



