1920] WILSON, PHYTOGEOGRAPIIICAL SKETCH OF FORMOSA 27 



not cleared for cultivation, the foothills are covered with a dense jungle- 



grasses 



tree 



great value. At 



hills, but it has long since been destroyed for the sake of its camphor. 



The higher mountains are densely clothed with magnificent evergreen 

 forests. The upper slopes of some of these mountains like Mt. Sylvia, 

 are, however, treeless. Others, like Mt. Morrison, the highest of all, is tree- 

 covered to within a few hundred feet of its summit which carries snow for 

 fully six months of the year. Into these wild, densely forested mountain- 

 fastnesses the head-hunting aboriginals have been forced by agricultural 

 Chinese who occupy all the valleys. Over 7000 square miles of the island 

 is recognised as savage territory. Some of the tribes have been brought 

 under control, but the majority of them live in a state of war against Japan- 

 ese authority and against their neighbors. A well-organized system of 

 military police is maintained with a chain of block-houses, and all trade 

 with the savages is done in barter and through the police stations. Fenced 

 guard-lines of wire charged with heavy voltage of electricity are used to 

 segregate the unfriendly tribes. 



On the west coast, a railway runs from Keelung in the north to Takao 

 in the south and on the east coast there is about 50 miles of railway from 

 Karenko south. There are several short lateral railways and an extensive 

 system of push-trolley lines built for the purpose of l)ringing down the 

 products of the foothills and the interior valleys to the railways; there is 

 also a railway constructed specially for the purpose of bringing down the 

 timber felled on Ari-san to the town of Kagi. These railway and trolley 

 lines afford ready facilities as far as they go, but really only very limited 

 distances can be covered by their aid. Owing to the fact thkt so much of 

 interior Formosa is in the hands of head-hunting Savages travel off the 

 main routes, except by special permission of the Japanese government, is 

 not allowed. The only roads into the mountains are those which have 

 been made for police purposes and these are well guarded. The Govern- 

 ment was very gracious toward me on the occasion of my two visits to 

 Formosa. It placed every convenience at my disposal and did its utmost 

 to further the objects I had in view, and, thanks to this invaluable assist- 

 ance, I was able during the six months I was there to see much of the island. 

 I traveled all round it using the railways on the west coast and staying off 

 at convenient places. From the terminus beyond Ako I went on foot to 

 Koshun over the coral formations in the south. From Taihanroku, the 

 port of Koshun, I went by ship to Pinan; from Pinan by push-trolley I 

 traversed the interior valley already mentioned until the railway-head 

 about 50 miles below Karenko was reached. From Karenko I journeyed 

 on foot over the famous sea-cliffs of northeast Formosa to the little port of 

 So-o, near Giran. I had previously traveled overland from Taihoku to 

 Giran and returned by way of Keelung. I visited Mt. Taihei situated in 

 the northeastern part of the island and famous for its wonderful Chamae- 

 cyparis-forests. In the centre of the island I visited Mt. Kiraishiu which is 



