124 A BOTANICAL TOUR AMONG THE SOUTH SEA ISLANDS. 
managed to ascend with difficulty. The thickets of scrub, reeds, and climbers,— 
among the latter two species of Smilax and a Rubus,—were often exceedingly 
troublesome. Sometimes my guides and myself had to crawl upon our hands 
and knees, and, after an hour’s work in getting through one of those labyrinths, 
impossible to scale those barriers, which are often more than eighty feet in 
height. Amongst the caeca b sad vegetation which clothes the mountains 
to their summits one meets with many fine species of Ficus, which are often 
of pote size, and rendered eds beautiful by a large mass of Polypo- 
whose large pied green foliage often contrast beautifully with the purple 
heart-shaped 1 of Paritium purpurascens, are pleasing objects. Pa- 
ritium proa ies its bright green foliage and yellow flowers, is not less 
hyll 
pesia populnea were ole literally hidden by a matting of Niphobolus, whose 
pendent ribbon-like fronds, hanging gracefully down, gave them a novel but 
heautiful appearance. Scarcely less singular and beautiful i is the aspect of the 
would icta a ee Pintana, to which genus it is closely ailis 
Two spec psing 
the trunks si engin of the larger trees. The Pandanus is des met with 
far inland, but is found generally close to the sea. Its strong aerial roots pro- 
on their tips a loose, cup-like coating, which preserves their absorbents from 
