244 The Philippine Journal of Science 1916 



flora progressed, it became increasingly evident that, in order to 

 establish a stable basis of nomenclature for numerous Philippine 

 species, a botanical exploration of Amboina was urgently needed. 

 Plans for this proposed work were prepared in the latter part 

 of 1912 and the early part of 1913, and the actual work of the 

 botanical exploration of Amboina was assigned to the late Dr. 

 C. B. Robinson, at that time assistant botanist in the Bureau 

 of Science. Doctor Robinson left Manila on June 17, 1913, 

 and proceeded to Amboina via Buitenzorg, Java. He arrived 

 in Amboina July 15, 1913, and actively prosecuted his field 

 work there until the day of his untimely death, December 5, 1913. 

 On this day, while on a botanical trip, unaccompanied, he was 

 murdered by some Boetonese men who had established a small 

 settlement between Aerlo and Seri, about fifteen kilometers from 

 the town of Amboina. An investigation of the case by the local 

 authorities has definitely shown that Doctor Robinson's death was 

 wholly due to a local superstition. 4 



During the time that Doctor Robinson was in Amboina, and 

 including a few species that he secured, enroute, at Boeleleng, 

 Bali ; Baoe-baoe, Beoteon ; and Macassar, Celebes, he collected ap- 

 proximately 1,750 numbers of plants, most of the numbers being 

 represented by abundant duplicate material. The collections 

 were approximately arranged in two groups by Doctor Robinson, 

 during his stay in Amboina ; first, those that could definitely or 

 fairly definitely be referred to species described by Rumphius; 

 and, second, those species that were not described by Rumphius. 

 Of the first group there are approximately 600 numbers, and 

 these have been arranged in a special series, Plantae Rumphianae 

 Amboinenses, and will be distributed with special labels giving 

 both the modern binomial and the Rumphian name and reference 

 for each species. This material has been utilized in the prepara- 

 tion of a special report in an attempt to interpret the species 

 described in the Herbarium Amboinense, now practically com- 

 pleted. The material arranged in the second group, Reliquiae 

 Robinsonianae, that is, those species not described by Rumphius, 

 is the basis of the present paper. 



As the work in Amboina was originally planned, it was our 

 intention that Doctor Robinson should remain in the field for a 

 period of about five months. As the work progressed, it became 

 evident to him that he could not hope to solve any where near all 

 the problems presented by the identification of the Rumphian 



* Merrill, E. D. Charles Budd Robinson, Jr. Philip. Journ. Sci. 9 (1914) 

 Bot. 191-197. 



