NATURAL AREAS AND REGIONS 



717 



smaller relative, the tarictic, Penelop- 

 ides manillae Boddaert. The balud or 

 imperial pigeon, Muscadivores chalybura 

 Bonaparte, and the smaller Phapitreron 

 leucotis Temminck are not uncommon. 

 The little black and yellow titmouse, 

 Pardaliparus elegans Lesson, often 

 breaks the stillness of the forest with 

 his chickadee song. These are but a 

 few of the birds to be met with. Mount 

 Makiling is neither high nor extensive 

 enough to harbor the truly high moun- 

 tain birds; all of the forest forms may 

 be found more or less abundant through- 

 out the mountain in all types of vegeta- 

 tion, so far as their food supplies occur. 

 The snakes appear less prominent in the 

 forest than in the brush and grassland. 

 Insects are undoubtedly as abundant, 

 but are apt to be in the foliage high 

 over head, except for the ants and ter- 

 mites, which appear as active here as 

 elsewhere. Conspicuous in the dense 

 forest is the great variety of snails, 

 some of them quite large. Leaches of 

 a number of sorts are abundant as they 

 are unpleasant, and attach themselves 

 to man or beast indiscriminately. The 

 leaches demand moist conditions and 

 are not troublesome in the High Forest 

 of Mount Makiling during the dry 

 season, in April or early May. 



RAIN FOREST 



The transition from the High Forest 

 to the Rain or Midmountain Forest is 

 a gradual one, occasioned by the greater 

 rainfall and more uniform seasonal 

 distribution of moisture at higher ele- 

 vations. Toward the upper part of 

 the High Forest, ferns and herbaceous 

 plants become more abundant on the 

 forest floor, the heights of the trees 

 become less, and epiphytes become more 

 abundant and varied in character. The 

 trees characteristic of the top story 

 of the High Forest gradually drop out 

 of the composition, and the tree canopy 

 thus becomes a two storied one, with a 

 heavy undergrowth. 



Ferns are such a conspicuous element 

 in the Rain Forest that they are deserv- 

 ing of special consideration. Tree ferns 



of the genus Cyathea are prominent. 

 Species of Selaginella are found both 

 in the moist soil and as epiphytes in 

 the tree tops. Other common ter- 

 restrial ferns are Tectaria irregularis 

 (Pr.) Copel., which also occurs abun- 

 dantly in the moister parts of the High 

 Forest, Dennstaettia elmeri Copel., a 

 giant fern with finely dissected fronds 

 occupying the opener locations, and 

 mingled with species of Dryopteris, 

 Pteridium aquilina (L.) Kuhn., etc. 

 On open cliffs and rock ledges occur the 

 giant Marratia and species of Gleichenia. 

 Among the numerous epiphytes, ferns 

 are also prominent; several species of 

 Nephrolepis, some of them with very 

 large fronds; a number of forms of the 

 Asplenium nidus group; Aglaomorpha 

 Meyeniana, with its huge, coarse pin- 

 nate fronds; Odontosoria chinensis J. 

 Sm. and the pale green Davallodes 

 hirsutum. Among the smaller, curious 

 forms are Polypodium sinuosum Wal- 

 lich., with channeled, ant-harboring 

 rhizomes and the diminutive grass-like 

 Monogramma trichoidea J. Sm. Near 

 the upper limits of the Rain Forest, 

 and in moist ravines, where the humidity 

 approaches that of the Mossy Forest, 

 are found the graceful, pendant epi- 

 phytic Lycopodium carinatum Desv., 

 and several species of Hymenophyllaceae. 



The trees of the Rain Forest may be 

 considered as forming two stories in- 

 stead of three, as in the High Forest. 

 These stories correspond approximately 

 in height to the second and third stories 

 found in the High Forest. The top 

 story trees in the Rain Forest have a 

 height of from 15 to 20 meters. Among 

 the trees in this story may be mentioned 

 Astronia spp., Eugenia spp. (which are 

 here top story trees instead of second 

 story trees as in the High Forest), 

 Quercus spp., Weinmannia luzonensis 

 Vid., Palaquium spp., Cratoxylon celebi- 

 cum BL, Dillenia reifferscheidia F. Vill. 

 and D. philippinensis Rolfe. Strangling 

 figs are rather prominent members of 

 the tallest trees in this forest. The 

 lower story in the Rain Forest is com- 

 posed of trees and shrubs, reaching a 

 height of about eight meters. Among 

 these may be mentioned Neolitsea villosa 

 Merr., Thea lanceolata (Blume) Poir., 

 Saurauia spp., Oreocnide irinervis Miq. 



