xxix BEACH AND RIVER-DRIFT 435 



seeds and fruits of littoral plants that are swept off the beaches by 

 the currents. 



A description is given in Chapter XXXII of the enormous 

 amount of vegetable drift brought down by the Guayaquil River to 

 the coast of Ecuador. Besides the huge tree-trunks and the 

 floating Pistias, we observe large islets formed mainly of Ponte- 

 derias and Polygonum, together with a host of seeds and seed- 

 vessels, both large and small, including those of Anona paludosa, 

 Entada scandens, Erythrina, Hibiscus tiliaceus, Ipomea, Mucuna, 

 Vigna, &c., accompanied by the empty seeds of Phytelephas 

 macrocarpa and of many other strange plants from the slopes of 

 the Chimborazo mountains. In addition, we notice the seedlings 

 of Avicennia and of Rhizophora mangle together with the seeded 

 joints of Salicornia peruviana and the germinating fruits of 

 Laguncularia. 



When in Fiji I made an especial study of the drift of the Rewa 

 Estuary within tidal influence, the results of which are incorporated 

 in various parts of this work. In the rainy season, when the drift 

 is most abundant, the following would be its most characteristic 

 components : 



Seedlings of Bruguiera and Rhizophora. 



Fruits of Barringtonia racemosa and B. speciosa, the first-named 

 most abundant and often germinating. 



Seeds of Carapa obovata, most of them far advanced in 

 germination. 



Fruits of Lumnitzera coccinea. 



Fruits of Cerbera odollam, abundant. 



Fruits of Inocarpus edulis, with the seed generally rotten. 



Fruits of Heritiera littoralis, Parinarium laurinum, and 

 Pandanus. 



Empty seeds of Aleurites moluccana. 



Fruits of Scirpodendron costatum, abundant. 



Fruits of Clerodendron inerme and Smythea pacifica, both 

 of them in some cases germinating. 



Pyrenes of Morinda citrifolia. 



Small fruits of Vitex trifolia and Premna taitensis, both some- 

 times abundant. 



Seeds of Entada scandens, Mucuna, and Vigna lutea. 



Pods of Dalbergia monosperma and Derris uliginosa, the last 

 sometimes in a germinating condition. 



Seeds of Hibiscus tiliaceus and of different species of Ipomea, 

 such as I. peltata and I. pes caprae. 



F F 2 



