— 114 "- 



the leaves of which the sugar bags are manufactured, but it is 

 altogether slighter ; the fronds composing its terminal bran- 

 ches being fewer and more slender and of a deeply glaucous 

 hue, whilst the fruit, as will be seen from the specimen on 

 the table, is quite diiFerent in shape and size being less globu- 

 lar and much smaller, and the ends of the aggregated seeds 

 which compose it, more finely cut and sharply pointed , living 

 trees I understand are growing at the Botanic Gardens. 



I have added a second species of Vacoa to the List, because 

 ib so happened that we met with several plants of '' Pandanus 

 utilis," they only occurred however in one spot scarcely more 

 than a hundred feet above the landing place, and we came to 

 the conclusion that the seeds had probably been planted there 

 by some early visitor— a supposition all the more probable 

 since this species was in former days cultivated for industrial 

 purposes on Flat Island four or five miles oif. Many trees 

 of it are iu fact still to be found there, whilst '' Pandanus 

 Vandermeerschii " remains absent. 



The Palms which form the second distinctive feature of the 

 vegetation of Eound Island follow. They consist of three 

 species — the first and most remarkable being that known here 

 as " Palmiste gargoulette " or Bottle Palm from the extra- 

 ordinary distension of its stem. It is, I believe, quite pecu- 

 liar to Round Island though in the Hortus Mauritiamis the 

 synonym " Latanier de File Plate " is given to this same 

 Palm tree, which there figures under the name of Ohamcerops 

 excelsa a West Indian species. No trace at any rate of its 

 existence at Plat I^:laud is now to be found, and Mr. Home 

 assures me that no tradition to that efi'ect exists at Pample- 

 mousses. 



I do not know whether Bojer ever was at Plat Island ; he 

 never set foot, I am told by Mr. Bouton, on Eound Island, — 

 and it seems highly improbable that he visited the former, as 

 he was evidently under a false impression even as to the ge- 

 neral appearance of the Palm in question, which he could not 

 otherwise have possibly assigned either to the genus Gha- 

 moerops or the genus Latania, both of which are Fan Palms, 

 whilst it has pinnate fronds, 



