80 MB. IT. K. MOSELEY ON THE PLANTS COLLECTED 



Philippine forests, was common ; but, unfortunately, as usual, no 

 specimens from tlie high trees could be obtained. A few flowers 

 were picked up upon the ground ; but it was found impossible to 

 make out to which tree, amongst a number of trunks, a particular 

 blossom spread over the ground belonged. Several araliaceous 

 trees and shrubs were characteristic features of the vegetation. 

 A bright-coloured Coleus was amongst the few terrestrial herbs. 

 A Draccena, often beautifully reddened, was common ; but no 

 brilliant Crotons were seen. A bright-flowered malvaceous tree 

 (Tkespesia populnea) was amongst the littoral trees. Possibly 

 this yields fibres for ropes &c. to the natives. 



Fungi were abundant on the dead wood in the swamps and 

 woods ; and a considerable number of forms were collected, some 

 of which, I think, are of special interest. 



Seaweeds were cast up on the shores at every tide in great 

 abundance, and yielded a greater variety of species than had 

 before been met with by me on tropical coral coasts. 



Notes on the various Plants made use of as Food and as Implements, 



Clothing, fyc. by the Natives of the Admiralty Islands. 



The principal vegetable food of the Admiralty-Island natives, 

 besides cocoa-nuts, is sago, which is roughly prepared and made 

 up into hard masses of a cylindrical form, which were constantly 

 carried by the natives in their canoes. The cylinders are about 

 1^ foot long and 8 to 10 inches or so in diameter, and are done up 

 in mats for preservation. A specimen of the sago is sent for the 

 Kew Museum. 



Besides sago, the natives have a taro {Caladium esculentum'?), 

 which is cultivated by them, but apparently in no very great 

 quantities. A very similar Caladium was found growing wild on 

 the main island. The plant is cultivated in small enclosures round 

 the houses in the villages ; but 1 saw such cultivated taro only 

 in one village on D'Entrecasteau Island; on Wyld Island 

 (the other inhabited island near the anchorage) I saw no traces 

 of such cultivation. The rhizomes are of excellent quality, and 

 were much used on board the ship. No yams or sweet potatoes 

 were seen on the islands. The natives have plantains, but not 

 in abundance. A species of Artocarpus grows on the inhabited 

 island, near the houses. The natives eat a wild mango and a 

 small wild fig, also the fertile fronds of a large Acrostichum 

 {A. aureum ?) and a large brown fruit (Anonaceae ?) which was 



