48 



THE SEYCHELLES - ISLANDS OF THE GIANT PALMS 



One of the two endemic species of 

 screw pine. 



The world^s largest palm, Lodoicea 

 maldivica. 



the delicately leaved endemic palm Deckenia nobilis. Flocking round some 

 large deciduous trees were flying-foxes, which are big bats with a wing- 

 span of 60 — 70 centimetres. They have a steady and easy flight and from 

 a distance bear a striking resemblance to crows. Unlike our own bats 

 they are diurnal and live on fruit. We succeeded in getting within range 

 of one, and it was brought home deep-frozen to our Zoological Museum. 



Rounding a bend in the path we caught sight of our first specimen 

 of the celebrated Seychelles palm, the majestic Lodoicea. Unlike the 

 graceful stem of the coconut palm, which is more or less curved, the 

 Lodoicea'?, trunk is as straight as a mast, and this, together with a height 

 of anything up to 40 metres and an immense crown, gives the tree a regal 

 aspect which justifies its title of the "Queen of Palms". The leaves are 

 fan-shaped, the stalks, which may be up to 15 centimetres thick and from 

 two to four metres long, bearing a giant grooved leaf-blade which may 

 measure up to six metres long and four metres wide. 



The flowers of the male palm are borne in large numbers on an un- 

 branched, fleshy cob as thick as a man's arm and up to twice as long. 

 Though the cobs have a penetrating smell, I saw no insects on them. The 



