210 PLANTS. 



the com^se of the week we procured 78 tons with 

 less trouble than had been anticipated. I afterwards 

 repeatedly visited the watering' creek^ and a brief 

 account of the productions of its neighbourhood 

 may here be g-iyen as a popular contribution to the 

 natural history of the little kno^m Louisiade 

 Archipelag'o. 



The rock is scarcely ever exposed on the banks of 

 the river except at the rapid before alluded to. 

 Though still mica-slate^ it is there of much g-reater 

 hardness and denser texture than on Pig* and Hound 

 Islands^ and stretches across the stream like a dyke^ 

 running' nearly north and south with a westerly dip 

 of about 60°. Elsewhere^ along' the shores of Coral 

 Haven^ this mica-slate is of a leaden hue and 

 g-listening- lustre^ yielding' to the nail^ with a slig'ht 

 g-reasy feel_, especially in some pieces of a shining- 

 ash-g-rey^ acted upon b}' salt water. From hand 

 specimens alone it is difficult to assign a name to 

 this rock^ as it partakes more or less of the characters 

 of mica^ chlorite^ and talc-schists. 



Among' the botanical productions Nepenthes 

 dcstillatoriay the famous pitcher-plant of the East^ 

 deserves mention. It grows abundantly among the 

 tall grass on the slcirts of the jungle^ and the 

 pitchers invariably contained a small quantity of 

 limpid fluid of a slightly sweetish taste_, with small 

 insects floating on its surface. The finest of the 

 tree-ferns ( Hcmiteliiim) grcAV alone near the 

 watering-place^ and was cut do^vn to furnish speci- 



