IN SUMATRA. 157 



of the Quadramana to be met witli in this reg 

 utan not hcins found so far in the south. 



o 



Continuing my journey, skirting round an elbow of Jit. 



Tengamus, I descended on the village of Terratas, looking 



down on the Bay of Semangka with its mountainous shores, 



and on the peaked summit of the island of Tabuang standing 



out of the motionless water. In one of the little ravines I 

 gathered specimens of a singular climbing shrub {Lagenaria) 



with immense semi-irlobular fruits over two feet seven inches 

 in circumference. Though in size so large they are quite 

 light, their seeds being small and winged with a broad 

 glancing membrane, thinner tlian the finest Avhite tissue poper, 

 which serves as a float to disseminate them. 



Two days later I made the ascent of the mountain, wliich, 

 owing to its fissured and chasmcd character, was tedious 

 and difficult. Passing through a dense belt of Avild bananas 

 and Zingibcriaceous plants, then a zone of disagreeable rattan- 

 palms, wo broke into the deep, dark virgin forest, beneath 

 whose shade little or nothing was to be found growings save 

 here and there an arum with a curious serpent-head-like 

 spathe, or in bright scarlet fruit ; but at 3000 feet I was 



gladdened by entering a belt of Ixora trees in one mas 



of scarlot flowers, which, as the monntain rose abruptly, 

 had a fine effect viewed from above. In the damper regions 

 a little higher, the tree-trunks began to be more densely 

 clothed with orchids and ferns and climbers of all kinds; 

 and here and there, high in the angles of the branches. 



scarlet Azaleas, which had crept down the mountain out of 



the temperate heights as far as they might dare. At 5000 



feet I gathered Horsfield's Dipteris fern, whicli seems too 



delicate to thrive well at home tliough it is a denizen of the 



higher mountains of the tropics, accompanied by great fields 



of a handsome species of bracken {Gleichenia glaiica). At 



5400 feet I halted fur the niirht in a small hut that I hud a 



day or two previously had erected for our accommodation on 



the verge of the more temperate region of the mountain, wliere 



the trees became smaller and more stunted and were loaded 



with lichens, mosses and feathery lycopods, and which turned 



out to be the lowest limit of the pitcher-plants. 



Fuw signs of animal life were observed, except the spoor of 



]2 



