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followed the direction of the Continent, till they reached the 

 latitude of this Island, when they changed their course in search 

 of a place where they might spend their winter. During the 

 night, we were regaled with the croaking of the Hyla arborea, 

 and of a Lizard also, which frequents houses. This last is 

 probably the same as the Lizard of Siam, described by Capt. 

 Burney in the 17th No. of Brewster's Edinburgh Journal, 

 under the name of the Tuk-ki. According to that writer, this 

 animal is an object of superstition among the Siamese. With 

 them, although only six inches long, it makes war upon rats ; 

 with us, it limits its utility to the destruction of Cock-roaches, 

 and to foretelling changes in the weather. 



Leaving the Vale, we now ascended the hills above Retreat 

 Estate. The rocks of this district are all limestone, present- 

 ing, in some places, owing to the partial action of decom- 

 position, a cancellated appearance, known in the country by 

 the name of Honeycomb-rock. In the crevices grew the 

 Pteris longifolia, Hemionitis rufa, Anemia adiantifolia, and 

 that cosmopolite fern, Adiantum Capillis -Veneris. The Car- 

 diospermum Holicacabum, and C. grandifiorum hung down their 

 white flowers and balloon-like capsules: the long coi'd-like 

 spikes of the Wild Yam, {Dioscorea saliva,) and the purple 

 inflorescence of the Stizolobium altissimum were suspended 

 from the trees, while the attractive lilac racemes of the 

 Securidaca virgata, by means of its long trailing branches, 

 were stretched above our path. The Cassytha filiformis and 

 Cynanchum parvifiorum were to to be met with, spread over 

 the shrubs by the road-side. A plant of the Eupatorium 

 Dalea particularly struck my attention, adorned profusely 

 with snowy flowers, and its leaves exhaling the delicious 

 fragrance of Vanilla. At a gap in the ridge, through 

 which the track lies, we had an opportunity of admiring 

 the Portlandia grandijlora, and Hibiscus pentaspermus ; Pa- 

 vetta pentandra, and Erythroxylon rotundifolium, (the latter 

 not in flower,) were also common along this road. At this 

 spot, we saw, for the first time, Habenaria brachyceratites. 

 It is very different from H. macroceratites, as well as Orchis 

 monorhiza, both of which are common plants in this district. 



