Ferns and Pitcher-Plants. 43 



pitcher-plants were the most remarkable. These wonderful 

 plants never seem to succeed well in our hot-houses, and are 

 there seen to little advantage. Here they grew up into half- 

 climbing shrubs, their curious pitchers, of various sizes and 

 forms, hanging abundantly from their leaves, and continual- 

 ly exciting our admiration by their size and beauty. A few 

 coniferoe of the genus Dacrydium here first appeared, and in 

 the thickets just above the rocky surface we walked through 

 groves of those splendid ferns Dipteris Horsfieldii and Ma- 

 tonia pectinata, which bear large spreading palmate fronds on 

 slender stems six or eight feet high. The 3fatonia is the 

 tallest and most elegant, and is known only from this mount- 

 ain, and neither of them is yet introduced into our hot- 

 houses. 



It was very striking to come out from the dark, cool, and 

 shady forest in which we had been ascending since we start- 

 ed, on to this hot, open rocky slope, where we seemed to have 

 entered at one step from a lowland to an Alpine vegetation. 

 The height, as measured by a sympiesometer, was about 

 2800 feet. We had been told we should find water at Pa- 

 dang-batu, but we looked about for it in vain, as we were ex- 

 ceedingly thirsty. At last we turned to the pitcher-plants, 

 but the water contained in the pitchers (about half a pint 

 in each) was full of insects, and otherwise uninviting. On 

 tasting it, however, we found it very palatable, though rather 

 warm, and we all quenched our thirst from these natural 

 jugs. Farther on we came to forest again, but of a more 

 dwarf and stunted character than below ; and alternately 

 passing along ridges and descending into valleys, we reached 

 a peak separated from the true summit of the mountain by a 

 considerable chasm. Here our porters gave in, and declared 

 they could carry their loads no further ; and certainly the 

 ascent to the highest peak was very precipitous. But on the 

 spot where we were there was no water, whereas it was well 

 known that there was a spring close to the summit, so we 

 determined to go on without them, and carry with us only 

 what was absolutely necessary. We accordingly took a 

 blanket each, and divided owy food and other articles among 

 us, and went on with only the old Malay and his son. 



After descending into the saddle between the two peaks 



