378 LUXURIANT VEGETATION. 



tempests, serving as a place of refuge for boobies, 

 tropic, and other oceanic birds, which here con- 

 gregate and rear their progeny, free from mo- 

 lestation. 



The coast, as we proceeded, maintained its 

 picturesque character, the high land being 

 clothed with timber, and the low coast trending 

 between the more elevated parts, of a somewhat 

 similar character to some portions of the island of 

 Java and other islands of the Indian Archipelago, 

 was profusely covered with vegetation. On 

 " PuloWay," several clear, and apparently cul- 

 tivated patches of land were visible, and smoke 

 of fires ; but no habitations could be perceived. 

 Most of the island was a dense jungle, seeming- 

 only calculated as a refuge for wild animals in 

 the midst of its wilderness of luxuriant vegeta- 

 tion. The coast off which we had anchored this 

 evening, was, for the most part, low ; except the 

 land being elevated as it rose from the " Point 

 Pedro," but it was not of such a verdant cha- 

 racter as the mountainous coast we had previously 

 passed during the day. The low land, however, 

 abounded in trees ; among which, the cocoa-nut 

 palm was both numerous and conspicuous. 



The following morning, at sunrise, the atmo- 

 sphere was delightfully cool and refreshing ; and 

 the land-breeze brought off with it a delicious 



