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made special search, we found nothing of the sort, and Mr. 

 Yandermeersch who has known the Island for a quarter of a 

 century declared that he had never met with it. Indeed, as 

 it is not a native of Mauritius ; but was introduced hither 

 from Madagascar, and as it seldom flourishes anywhere but in 

 swampy places, its presence on this waterless rock would 

 have been most extraordinary. 



The only other Endogen that we discovered belonged to the 

 family of Lilies — a handsome red flowered Aloe growing on 

 rocks at the very top of the Island. It proves to be quite 

 difierent from the Mauritian " Aloe onacra " or " Soccotrine 

 du Pays," and is probably new. 



Proceedings next to plants of more perfect structure having 

 two-lobed seeds, we find that Round Island possesses three 

 Uhonies resembling severally the Mauritian species Biospjros 

 pterocalyx, melanida and clirysophyllus. Their growth however 

 like that of all the hardwood trees is stunted, and their bran- 

 ches guarled and twisted : This is due probably to the wind, 

 for there seems a sufl&cient depth of vegetable mould to ena- 

 ble them to grow more luxuriantly. 



Two trailing Asdejnads with inconspicuous flowers festoon 

 the rocky surface of the islet in many places. One, Mr. 

 Home identifies with the Tyloi)liora (^Asclejnas) astlimatica 

 of the Royal College Herbarium which however is given by 

 Bojer as a " Ceylon species, cultivated in gardens principally 

 by the Indians," no doubt as a drug since Dr. Roxburgh de- 

 clares it to be one of the most valuable medicines in India. 

 The second was originally regarded by Mr. Home as a Peri- 

 ploca possibly Mauritian the '* Ipeca du Pays ;" but he has 

 since considered it to belong to another foreign section of the 

 family, the Streptocaulon on the authority of the late Dr. 

 Meller, who thus classed a plant growing at Curepipe which 

 it strongly resembles, though of a much stouter habit in 

 every respect as will be seen on comparison. Possibly as the 

 genus has downy seeds both these Asclepiads have been con- 

 veyed to Round Island by the wind ; such too may have been 

 the case with the '' Groatsfoot Convolvulus." Ipomcea maritima 

 common to most parts of the world. 



