﻿144 
  M. 
  Treub 
  on 
  the 
  

  

  to 
  which 
  newly 
  emerged 
  coral-islands 
  are 
  indebted 
  for 
  their 
  

   floras. 
  The 
  wind 
  or 
  fortuitous 
  causes 
  may 
  bring 
  spores 
  or 
  

   seeds 
  of 
  other 
  plants 
  later 
  on 
  ; 
  but 
  these 
  latter 
  will 
  then 
  find 
  

   the 
  soil 
  prepared 
  by 
  their 
  predecessors 
  brought 
  by 
  the 
  sea 
  or 
  

   by 
  birds. 
  

  

  Now, 
  how 
  does 
  a 
  lofty 
  volcanic 
  island, 
  a 
  mountain 
  which 
  

   has 
  sprung 
  suddenly 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  sea 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  an 
  eruption, 
  

   clothe 
  itself 
  with 
  plants 
  ? 
  Or, 
  which 
  comes 
  to 
  the 
  same 
  

   thing 
  for 
  the 
  botanist, 
  How 
  does 
  a 
  volcano 
  forming 
  an 
  island, 
  

   having 
  lost 
  all 
  its 
  vegetation 
  by 
  an 
  eruption, 
  acquire 
  a 
  new 
  

   flora? 
  These 
  questions 
  have 
  never 
  been 
  put 
  in 
  a 
  categorical 
  

   manner 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  I 
  know. 
  It 
  is 
  not 
  to 
  be 
  wondered 
  at, 
  since 
  

   only 
  quite 
  hypothetical 
  answers 
  could 
  have 
  been 
  given. 
  

  

  Nobody 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  present 
  time 
  has 
  been 
  in 
  the 
  position 
  of 
  

   witnessing 
  the 
  advent 
  of 
  a 
  new 
  flora 
  on 
  a 
  volcanic 
  island. 
  

  

  After 
  the 
  knowledge 
  acquired 
  on 
  the 
  origin 
  of 
  coral-island 
  

   floras 
  I 
  do 
  not 
  think 
  I 
  shall 
  be 
  deviating 
  too 
  far 
  from 
  the 
  

   truth 
  in 
  assuming 
  that 
  the 
  advent 
  of 
  a 
  flora 
  on 
  one 
  of 
  these 
  vol- 
  

   canic 
  islands 
  should 
  be 
  depicted 
  in 
  the 
  following 
  manner. 
  The 
  

   littoral 
  of 
  the 
  island 
  becomes 
  covered 
  with 
  plants 
  by 
  the 
  aid 
  of 
  

   seeds 
  brought 
  by 
  ocean-currents 
  and 
  by 
  birds 
  in 
  just 
  the 
  same 
  

   manner 
  as 
  with 
  coral-islands. 
  The 
  elements 
  which 
  compose 
  

   the 
  flora 
  of 
  this 
  littoral 
  belt 
  will 
  ascend 
  little 
  by 
  little 
  the 
  

   slopes 
  of 
  the 
  island 
  ; 
  this 
  is 
  possible, 
  since 
  the 
  majority 
  of 
  

   these 
  plants, 
  although 
  preferring 
  a 
  saline 
  station, 
  yet 
  grow 
  

   vigorously 
  at 
  a 
  distance 
  from 
  the 
  shore 
  and 
  at 
  a 
  tolerably 
  

   great 
  altitude. 
  However, 
  the 
  further 
  the 
  original 
  vegetable 
  

   belt 
  of 
  the 
  shore 
  ascends, 
  the 
  more 
  its 
  progress 
  slackens. 
  

   Lastly, 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  almost 
  entirely 
  by 
  the 
  mediation 
  of 
  birds 
  

   that 
  the 
  most 
  elevated 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  island 
  will 
  be 
  stocked 
  with 
  

   plants. 
  When 
  once 
  the 
  whole 
  island 
  is 
  covered 
  with 
  a 
  veget- 
  

   able 
  carpet, 
  as 
  yet 
  not 
  very 
  dense, 
  the 
  soil 
  will 
  be 
  prepared 
  

   little 
  by 
  little 
  for 
  the 
  reception 
  of 
  other 
  plants, 
  the 
  spores 
  or 
  

   the 
  seeds 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  brought 
  by 
  the 
  wind 
  or 
  by 
  other 
  

   agents. 
  

  

  Let 
  us 
  now 
  return 
  to 
  Krakatao 
  to 
  see 
  what 
  we 
  learn 
  from 
  

   the 
  reality. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  clear, 
  after 
  all 
  that 
  has 
  been 
  said, 
  that 
  a 
  distinction 
  

   must 
  be 
  made 
  between 
  the 
  flora 
  of 
  the 
  shore 
  and 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  

   mountain 
  proper, 
  since 
  we 
  already 
  know 
  that 
  there 
  are 
  plants 
  

   on 
  Krakatao 
  up 
  to 
  an 
  altitude 
  of 
  more 
  than 
  2000 
  feet. 
  

  

  I 
  visited 
  Krakatao 
  on 
  two 
  occasions 
  between 
  the 
  19th 
  and 
  

   24th 
  June, 
  1886. 
  On 
  the 
  shore 
  I 
  collected 
  seeds 
  or 
  fruits 
  of 
  

   the 
  following 
  plants 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  Heritiera 
  littoralis, 
  Dry 
  and. 
  (1). 
  Barringtonia 
  speciosa, 
  L. 
  (5). 
  

  

  Terminalia 
  catappa, 
  L. 
  (2). 
  Calopkylluni 
  mophyllum, 
  L. 
  (3). 
  

  

  Cocos 
  succifera, 
  L. 
  (1). 
  Pandanus, 
  sp. 
  (I). 
  

  

  