INSULAR FLORAS. 465 



and Seychelles). Altogether fifty species of vascular plants 

 were collected in the island. 



Mr. Abbott also visited many other islands in these 

 seas, notably Providence, Assumption and Glorioso. He 

 did not collect plants, but was of opinion that the last 

 named island was comparatively rich in species. Some 

 few particulars respecting the plants of these islands were 

 published by the writer (48), in relation to insular floras 

 generally. The only point of interest in the list is that it 

 corroborates Abbott's opinion that the Glorioso group is 

 relatively rich in species. Though probably far from a 

 complete collection of the flora of Du Lise, Roches, 

 Providence, Alphonse and other smaller islands, it contained 

 the following trees : Calophyllum Inophyllum, Thespesia 

 populnea, Morinda citrifolia, Guettarda speciosa, Ochrosia 

 borbonica, Cordia subcordata, Heruandia peltata and Ficus 

 nautarum. 



Socotra has been partially explored by such competent 

 botanists as Dr. I. B. Balfour and Dr. Schweinfurth ; and 

 the former has published (49) the results, which are of a 

 highly interesting character. The island had previously 

 been visited by various Europeans, who brought away a 

 few plants ; but no attempt had been made to work out 

 even these few. Dr. Balfour's Botany of Socotra forms a 

 bulky volume, and includes 100 lithographed plates re- 

 presenting the principal novelties collected ; yet he says of 

 the flora " what we know is but a small portion of what 

 there is to know ". The island of Socotra is traversed by 

 the twelfth parallel of latitude and the fifty-fourth meridian. It 

 is between seventy and eighty miles long, and averages nearly 

 twenty miles in breadth, with limestone plateaux averaging 

 1000 feet, and granitic peaks upwards of 4000 feet in height. 

 The climate, although dry for a considerable part of the year, 

 contrasts favourably with the neighbouring shores of Arabia 

 and Africa, with comparatively moderate heat. Rather 

 less than 150 miles from the African coast, and rather more 

 from the Arabian, it has a distinctly insular character of 

 great antiquity. The vegetation of the dry, sandy plains 

 of the coast region is essentially of the same type as the 



