PLANTS. 409 



a profusion of blue flowers ; and brilliant butter- 

 flies and other insects flew about the rich vege- 

 tation, which was so profusely strewed about. , 

 Surrounding a hut near the river was the 

 "Sekar," a species of Pandanus, the younger 

 leaves of which several w omen were engaged in 

 collecting : they are bleached by soaking in 

 water, and afterwards exposing them to the heat 

 of the sun. Being thus prepared, they manu- 

 facture them into various kinds of coarse mats. 



The I'hespesia populnea, profusely covered 

 with its large yellow flowers, and called " On- 

 seran" by the natives, was very common about 

 their habitations, forming usually a portion of 

 the fence around their gardens. A leafless spe- 

 cies of the Euphorhiacece family, which they 

 named " Bugar," was also growing plentifully 

 in the hedges : they did not use it medicinally, 

 but said, if the juice was taken internally, it 

 would produce violent pain and excessive vomit- 

 ing. Having arrived at a flsherman's station, 

 we crossed over a creek in one of the large fish- 

 ing boats, in which the seine was very large, 

 and manufactured from the fibres of the trunk of 

 a palm, (which I shall hereafter have occasion 

 to mention,) this fibrous material is known by 

 the common name of "black coir ;" it is strong, 

 elastic, and very durable. 



A number of natives were fishing upon the 



