BY F. MAXSON BAILKY, F.L.S. 19 



which were planted, I iinderstood, about the same time as the 

 former. These had made excellent growth and were bearing- 

 nuts. This our guide thought might be attributed to the effect 

 ■of the smoke from the hut. It was, however, I consider, plainly 

 due to situation. The soil also was better and of a fav greater 

 depth — thus was better prepared to store up the rainfall. In 

 concluding this note I might add that at Samarai the healthiest 

 and strongest cocoannt trees are those growing where coal had 

 been stacked. While at Samarai Mr. W. E. Armit, a gentleman 

 to whom I am indebted for many herbarium specimens of 

 Papuan plants, ponited out to me two shrubs, one of which was 

 densely steanaed and over .Ift. high. One of the plants had not 

 lost it leaves, but the other was quite bear of foliage. Neither 

 of the plants had flowers nor fruit, but I think it very 

 probable that they belonged to Euphorbia neriifolia, I.imi., 

 which is coanaoa in India and the Malay islands. ^Ir. Armit 

 informed me that he met with this shrub a few years ago about 

 80 miles from Samarai and at about 40 miles from the coast, 

 but whether growing at a village or out in the forest I forgot to 

 inquire. If at the former, it might have been brought by some 

 Malay men, as several of the species of this genus are used by 

 them medicinally. The following is a descriptive note which I 

 entered in my pocketbook as I stood by the shrub at Samarai : — 

 Euphorbia sp. like E. neriifolia; trunk short, at the base lOin. 

 in diameter, the erect thick branches spirally five-angled ; 

 stipular thorns in pairs, rather short. Leaves oblong-lanceolate, 

 3 or 4 inches long, articulate above the two stipulary thorns. 

 Thorns persistent on the angles of the branches. It may be 

 thought that in a paper like this mention should be made of the 

 new or rare plants met with during the trip, but descriptions of 

 many of these have appeared in the August number of the 

 (Jutr)i.'>Uiti(l Afiririittiiiiil Jdidudl, and others will appear as 

 opportunities occur for working out the specimens. Not many 

 orchids were seen in bloom, but I have described several in the 

 publication referred to. I also gave a list of the easily recognised 

 species, which accompanied Sir Hugh Nelson's official report of 

 the visit. I regret that proofs of this were not showii me before 

 going to press, and )aany mistakes have occurred in the spelling 



