Chap. XV.] SEA-BORNE PLANT.S. -^Ij 



Masses of closely-packed tree-stems, with dense foliage 

 masses above, appeared lining the shore where it was flat. 

 There were no cocoanut palms to be seen amongst them." 

 After coasting during the whole night, Dobbo, the port of the 

 islands, was reached in the morning. Dobbo lies on the small 

 island of Wamma, which is separated opposite the town by a 

 narrow channel from the large island of Wokan. 



The striking feature in the vegetation of Wamma, as viewed 

 by one who has just been amongst the Pacific Islands, is the 

 very small proportion of palms showing amongst the general 

 mass of foliage. There are only two small clumps of cocoanut 

 trees near the town. The leafy masses rising above the white 

 beach might almost be taken to be made up of elm trees, the 

 tree tops being rounded in the same manner. The whole has 

 a dull bluish tint. 



As we neared Dobbo, turning up the passage between the 

 two islands, we passed large quantities of leaves, fruits, flowers, 

 and branches of trees which had floated off from the shores^ 

 and were now drifting about mingled with a floating seaweed 

 iSargassiim). Off the Ke Islands we met with similar drifts 

 of land vegetation and also amongst the Moluccas ; and I was 

 astonished at the large quantities of fresh vegetable matter 

 thus seen floating on the sea. 



The sea birds, especially terns, habitually resort to the float- 

 ing logs as resting places, and it is curious to see them in the 

 distance, appearing as if standing on the surface of the water, 

 the logs themselves being often invisible. Not only are large 

 quantities of fruits capable of germinating thus transported 

 from island to island,* but entire living plants, even trees, are 

 washed from island to island and transplanted by the waves. 



On the shores of Little Ke Island I found on the beach, 

 above the ordinary reach of the waves, a large mass of the 

 pseudo- bulbs of an epiphytic orchid with its roots complete. 

 It was partly buried at the foot of a tree, and seemed quite 

 lively. It had evidently been washed up in a storm. At 

 Malanipa Island, off the coast of Mindanao in the Philippines, 

 I found a young Sago Palm, which was just beginning to form 

 a stem, washed up just above the ordinary beach line, and 

 firmly rooted, though in an inclined position, and growing 

 vigorously. Several authors have described the large quanti- 

 ties of floating vegetable matter to be met with in the Malay 

 Archipelago and neighbourhood. Chamisso remarked on the 



* Mr. Darwin has recorded the experiments which he made in con- 

 juncture with Mr. Berkeley to determine the period of time during which 

 various seeds will resist the action of sea-water, in the " Origin of 

 Species," 6th Ed., 1S76, pp. 324, 325. 



