BY THE REV. J. E. TENISON-WOODS. 33 



much force. A journey of a quarter of a mile thoroughly exhausted 

 our Malays, and we were not sorry to find ourselves once more 

 upon the swampy ground of the river Raya and close to the 

 village of that name." 



Lower Mountain Slopes. — There is a decided difference between 

 the forests on the lower slopes of the mountains and those on the 

 summits and on the plains. The trees are more varied and finer. 

 In fact, this is where the forests are seen in their grandeur, 

 because on ridges or the summits of ranges the trees are often 

 stunted and the timber poor. In the lower forests the under- 

 growth, amid dead and decaying timber, is nearly impenetrable. 

 The surface of the ground becomes only occasionally visible, and 

 the difiiculty of travelling through such places is really great. In 

 this region and that of the plains are the same genera, slightly 

 varied in proportion, but with a more stately and luxuriant growth. 

 DiiJterocaT'pus, Sliorea, Hopea and Vatica are numerous, with 

 Fig-trees, Chestnuts, Oak-trees, and an occasional coniferous tree 

 of the genus Darnmara. It was always a subject of admiration 

 to me to notice the varied tints of the vegetation on the mountain 

 slopes. At a distance they wore a uniform hue of sombre green 

 or purple ; but when near it was surprising how the surface was 

 dappled with colours like a garden bed. Trees that looked like 

 bunches of pink, bluish-red or yellowish flowers, stood out in 

 surprising numbers. This appearance was often due to blossoms ; 

 but also it was owing to the variegated leaves, and, sometimes 

 though more rarely, to the fruits. Those common and con- 

 spicuous were Chmamomum spu7'ium, a Gastania or Castanojysis 

 (a genus which cannot be maintained), a sapindaceous tree named 

 Cupania fuscidula ; and trees of light green foliage, such as Erio- 

 dendron and Alhizzia, help to vary the colour. There are also 

 se\'eral species of Artocarpus and Eugenia, with wild Garcinia or 

 Mangosteens, Ebonies, the real Ebenus, and Diospyros fruticosus^ 

 Ganarium, Guttas, Isonandra, Bassia and Bichopsis, with the 

 useful Fagrcea peregrina and another Fagrcea with large flowers, 

 of which more presently. The Palm-trees belonging to this region 



