64 



the steep mountain-sides, without which their ascent would have 

 been most difficult. A remarkable fact was that we saw no grass 

 whatever, except a little reedv grass near the rivers during our whole 

 trip. 



Of the economic flora, by far the most important was sago 

 (Sagus Rumphii). We found these useful storehouses of nourishing 

 food growing as far north as we penetrated, and up to an elevation of 

 3,500 feet. It had previously been considered that sago only grew 

 along the coast and in the alluvial mud of riverbanks near the sea- 

 level. This constitutes the staple food of all the inland natives we 

 met, except the inhabitants of the Sambregi villages, who live princi- 

 pally on sweet potatoes, the elevation (6000 feet) being too great for 

 sago. Wild breadfruit trees are fairly numerous. The fruit, unlike 

 the Samoan breadfruit, is full of large seeds nearly the size of wal- 

 nuts. These, when roasted, aie palatable and make a good sub- 

 stitute fir potatoes. The natives when hungry eat the pith of a 

 small palm' that grows plentifully over a large area of the country 

 traversed by us. In time of scarcity our police and carriers consumed 

 a good deal of this. To our palates it had a watery and woody taste 

 that was far from agreeable ; in fact, when hungry I tried to eat it, 

 but in each instance it made me sick. I collected the seeds of several 

 indigenous fruits, which, while not palatable, might have been im- 

 proved by cultivation, but these were lost with other things. 



Cultivated in the native gardens we found sweet potatoes, taro, 

 yams, sugarcane, bananas, betel-nuts and ginger, the last-named cul- 

 tivated as a medicine. Maize is unknown. No coconut trees were 

 seen on the whole trip until we reached the lower waters of the Kikor 

 river, nor are there any mango trees or tapioca. The natives grow a 

 green vegetable, the leaves of which they boil In bamboos. It makes 

 a very good substitute for cabbage and appears to contain a lot of 

 vegetable oil. 



Tobacco is cultivated in every naUve garden, which might lead 

 one to suppose it was indigenous; the name, however, tends to show 

 that it is an introduced plant. It is univ^ersally called "Saku " by the 

 bushmen, which is evidently dv-rived from "Kuku." the coastal name. 

 In one of the gardens on the headwaters of the Kikor I found a Kava 

 plane (Macro-piper methysticum) although I saw no evidence of the 

 manufacture of the beverage. 



Fauna. 



The wild pig, judging by the amount of ground that is rooted up, 

 is plentiful everywhere. It is the chief source of meat-supply for the 

 natives, and is continualli^ being hunted with dogs, the killing wea- 

 pons being bow and arrow and spear. The only animals domesticated 

 are the pig and the d.)g. The wallaby is very scarce, owing to the 

 absence of grass. Cassowaries are fairly plentiful, their back plumes 

 formia^ a favourite head-dress. Flying foxes are very numerous. 

 Their flesh is much relished by the bushmen. Tree-rats were occa- 

 sionally seen, and the streams abound in fish of excellent qualit\^ 

 Two or three were shot with a rifle, but as we had neither fisb.ing lines 



