1364 | LEAFLETS OF PHILIPPINE BoTANY [Vor. IV, Art. 71 
well above the vegetation on the summit crags. There is a moun- 
tainous backbone throughout the length of Palawan, although 
occasionally it appears to be completely broken from the surface 
view. This range of mountains is supposed to be of volcanic 
origin and on the whole runs nearer to the China than to the Sulu 
seacoast. The disintegration and alluvial deposits from these 
mountains have formed the upper plains lying between the 
level seacoast tract and the foothills. The level seacoast plain 
of southern Palawan is partly formed by the coral reefs which 
are extensive along both coasts of the southern one half of the 
island. The numerous islets along the main coast and the chief 
formation of some of the larger islands at the extreme end of 
Palawan is of coral. The sea between this Balabac group of 
islets and those of British North Borneo is estimated at 100 
fathoms deep, while th» broad channel between Busuanga and 
Mindoro is seven times as deep. 
The two most interesting places of mountainous regions 
and their vicinities are that of Cleopatra needle from St. Paul’s 
bay and mount Mantalingajan with the Pagoda cliff. Cleo- 
patra is 5200 feet high, very sharply pointed and is said to con- 
tain magnificent crystals. To the northwest of it is St. Paul’s 
bay on the west or China seacoast side. Into this bay empties 
a subterranean river, an account of which I here reproduce from 
“The Far Eastern Review,” published last December. The edi- 
tors state that most of this information is taken from a report 
on the survey operations executed under the direction of Sec- 
retary C. B. Elliott and by Mr. E. R. Frisbie, chief computer in 
the: Bureau of Coast and Geodetic Survey. 
“The cove into which the subterranean river empties is near 
the center of St. Paul Bay, and about three miles northeast of 
a small barrio situated in the extreme southern part of the bay. 
The entrance to this cove on the southern side is strikingly 
marked by a point sloping down to an elevation of about 25 
meters, and abruptly terminating in a massive flat topped tower 
of roek, with vertieal sides, closely resembling a fortified castle 
tower when seen from the northeast or southwest, close in shore. 
"The north side of the cove is a steep wooded slope, showing 
occasional glimpses of bare cliff. At the head of the cove are 
200 to 300 meters of sandy beach, across the north end of which 
. the river flows. Off the mouth of the river is a bar with a depth 
