— 65 — 



the above cause, and the rocky nature of the surface of the 

 ground, they are not easily extinguished. 



" 69. The soil in the virgin forests is covered with a thick 

 layer of half decomposed vegetable matter, into which the 

 trees, shrubs, &c., root freely, and which, when dry, takes fire 

 readily. Thus many species have been destroyed, and it is 

 only a few of the hardiest kinds which recover the land. 



*' 70. The fire tracks are easily distinguished, by the ab- 

 sence of the vegetable mould, by the uniform size and ap- 

 parent oneness of age of the trees, shrubs, &c., by the kind, 

 being few, and the individual plants of each kind being nu- 

 merous, by the deal trunks of the " Capucin " tree whose 

 timber is almost indestructible, and by the absence of very 

 young plants. 



" 71. The Seychelles Flora is unique in its Palms, which 

 have not been discovered in any other part of the world. 

 These are the Coco de Mer, or double Cocoa-niit (Lodoicea 

 SecJiellaritm). An undescribed species of Areca, the Chou- 

 Vsilmiste par excellence of Seychelles, the Latanier feuilles, 

 Stevensonia cjrandifolia, the Latte, Verschaffeltia splencUda, the 

 Latanier Hauhaim and another undescribed species of Palm, 



" 72. There are also Areca rubra (?), a branching spe- 

 cies of HypJiaene and Latania rubra or Borbonica, but I ques- 

 tion if either of these is indigenous. It is remarkable that the 

 native Palms of these Islands, aU belong to different genera, and 

 that, excepting the Coco de Mer, they are all covered with 

 spines. 



" In its younger stages of growth the Coco de Mer, is 

 grand beyond comparison with any other Palm. In its more 

 advanced stages of growth it appears to be inferior to the 

 Talipot palm of Ceylon, 



