f^'l Rosenhain, A Naturalist in Java. 159 



A NATURALIST IN JAVA. 

 By O. W. Rosenhain. 



{Read before the Field Naturalists' Club of Victoria, 13th Dec, 1915.) 



If I were asked where was the Garden of Eden, I should say 

 in Java — this wonderland region of never-failing delight to 

 the lover of natural beauty. Nature has been so profuse in her 

 gifts in this beauty land that the struggle for existence plays 

 a very unimportant part in the life and cares of the natives ; 

 excess of wealth is of very little benefit, and fashions do not 

 exist. 



There is almost too much to be admired in Java, and one 

 carries away a realization that he has seen a number of the 

 most beautiful spots on earth, but lacks distinct remembrance 

 of the details of any one of them. 



Java has an area of about 50,000 square miles calculated on 

 latitude and longitude, but in reality the area is much greater, 

 the mountains being many and steep, the soil rich ; cultivation 

 is carried on almost to the very highest point, which adds 

 many hundreds, if not thousands, of square miles. Roughly, 

 there are 8,000,000 acres under cultivation, of which 3^ millions 

 are rice, 2 millions sugar ; the balance is made up of coffee, tea, 

 tapioca, rubber, &c, &c. The teak forests cover about 

 i\ million acres; cutting is limited, and replanting a condition. 

 The seasons are the west monsoon (this is the wet period), from 

 December to April, and the dry season or south-east monsoon 

 is from May to November, and, I think, is certainly the besl 

 and most comfortable time to travel. In the rainy season the 

 rain comes down in sheets. 



The one outstanding feature throughout Java to the 

 naturalist and observer is the appreciation of the Dutch 

 authorities to the value of trees. On landing at the Inst port, 

 Soerabaya, the Large tamarind and kanaii trees along the 

 sheets cannot but arrest one's attention. The days are always 

 hot, and driving under these avenues of shade trees (from 50 

 to 100 feet high, meeting at the top) is most agreeable and 

 delightful, and so it is from one end of the island to the other. 

 In the cities of Soerabaya and Djokja I saw the largesl shade 

 trees I have ever seen. I have never seen a picture oi a tree 

 that could convey to me any idea of the size of those to be 

 seen in these two cities. In Soerabaya, about 200 yards from 

 my hotel were kanari trees, tamarinds, and Ficiis elastica of 

 which I could not gauge or estimate the height ; a large and 

 tall flag-pole at the side of one of the trees in the Governor's 

 residence grounds was barely more than a quarter of the height 

 of the tree (Ficus elastica). Not only were they high, but tin 

 spread was enormous ; a hundred people could easily sit under 



