i64 NATURAL SCIENCE. march. 



is, however, rendered sterile and uninhabitable by its active volcano 

 and the lava-deposits. The entire archipelago is volcanic, and 

 separated from the nearest continents by great depths, so the islands 

 must have been always as isolated as at present. 



The flora was well worked up by Hillebrand, and, as might be 

 expected, is very peculiar ; of 800 indigenous species of seed plants 

 and ferns, 653 or 75 per cent, are endemic; of seed plants alone, 81 

 per cent. ; and of dicotyledons, 85. 



The capital, Honolulu, which is situated on Oahu, one of the more 

 northern islands, " is like one great botanical garden." This is said 

 to be largely due to Dr. Hillebrand, who introduced many foreign 

 plants, and his place, kept much as it was when he left the islands, "was 

 a very remarkable collection of useful and ornamental plants from the 

 warm regions of almost the whole globe." Very striking to the 

 traveller from temperate climes is the great variety and number of 

 palms ; the beautiful royal palm (Oreodoxa regia), with its smooth 

 columnar trunk and its plume-like crown of leaves, betel-nut palms, 

 (Areca), the wine palm [Caryota), the sugar palm (Arenga), and many 

 fan-palms. The young coco palms are beautiful enough, though, 

 unfortunately, very subject to the attacks of an insect which eats the 

 leaves, but in old specimens the trunk is too tall for its girth, so that 

 the trees look top-heavy. The great preponderance of Leguminosae, 

 especially the sub-orders Caesalpinieae and Mimoseae, is also remark- 

 able. All about the town is the rapidly-growing algaroba [Prosopis 

 jidijiora) a graceful tree, with . fine bipinnate leaves and sweetish 

 yellow pods. The pods are largely used for fodder, and the wood 

 forms the principal fuel-supply for Honolulu. The monkey-pod 

 {Pithecolohium Sauiang), tamarind, and various species of Bauhinia and 

 Cathartocarpiis were also noticed, besides a great number of shrubs and 

 trees, with showy flowers or leaves, mostly familiar from pictures 

 or the greenhouse ; such were several species of Miisa, the traveller's 

 tree [Ravenalamadagascaviensis), and the beautiful Hibiscus Rosa-Sinensis. 

 At Puna Hou College is a hedge of night-blooming cereus 500 feet 

 long. Of fruit trees the mango, bread-fruit, and guava are common, 

 also the alligator pear [Pevsca gratissima) and the papaya. 



Away from the city the luxuriant vegetation is strange. Along 

 the sea-shore the plain is almost destitute of trees, save for an 

 occasional coco palm, while in the fertile lowlands near the sea are 

 the principal cane- and rice-fields. 



The valleys at the back of tlie city, though very rainy, richly 

 repaid a visit by the luxuriance and variety of their vegetation. 

 Grass-covered hills give way as one proceeds to thickets of Canna and 

 a rosy-white Clevodendvon, while the curious screw-pine is occasionally 

 seen, though much more abundant in some of the other islands. 

 Several showy ipom^eas are very common. 



With increase of moisture, masses of ferns increase in beauty 

 and number, and at about 1,000 ft. elevation species of Cibotium 



