26 ME.^ GA3JMIE ON AEISCEMA SPEOIOSUM. 



spathe leaning against it. The first breeze, however, often blows 

 the thread to the ground ; so that there is little chance of this 

 being its intended function. Some Lepchas told Dr. Hender- 

 son that the thread took hold of the ground and produced a 

 tuber ; but I am quite certain that there is not the shadow of 

 a foundation for this assertion. I found, in my searching, ano- 

 ther species, which I had up to that time quite overlooked. It 

 is much larger than A. speciosum, and has leaflets about 15 

 inches across, with conspicuous light-coloured midribs # . The 

 spathe is also much larger, and has the end curled inwards, com- 

 pletely closing up the opening in front, leaving only a small open- 

 ing on each side. The ends of the curled-in part look like ele- 

 phant's ears on a small scale. On the spadix above the part 

 which bears the flowers there is a sharp disk, which projects about 

 half an inch. The petiole is bright unspotted green : and altogether 

 the plant is a very handsome one, and, I am sure, would be much 

 admired ; the spathe is nearly a foot across the ears, and is beau- 

 tifully reticulated with light-coloured veins. I have never seen 

 it below 6000 feet ; Ariscema speciosum comes as low as 4000 

 feet in moist shady places. If these Arums could be acclima-^ 

 tized in England (which I much doubt), they would be most valu- 

 able for planting in pheasant-covers. The Sikkiin Horned Phea- 

 sant prefers the fruit of them to any other kind of food ; and I 

 suppose the common Pheasant would do the same. 



Have you never observed that the anthers of Codonopsis in- 

 flata are always burst, and the stigma covered with pollen before 



the flowers open ? It is, I think, a good example of independ- 

 ent fertilization. 



About 80,000 lbs. of India-rubber have been collected in this 

 locality during the past season ; but the trees have been terribly 

 hacked about, and, I am afraid, will yield but little next year. 

 There appear to be at least three species of Ficus from which 

 rubber is extracted. They grow along the banks of streams, 

 perched on the tops of rough-barked trees, 



3500 



in tb 

 large 



which take the form of stems, are merely notched with knives to 

 allow the milk to escape, which, as soon as congealed, is col- 

 lected, and is then ready for market. 



* It is probably A. Hookerianum, Schott. 





