( 39 ) 



a purely scientific nature, and it is not always possible to determine beforehand the extent 

 of time required for a satisfactory completion of researches of that nature." These are words 

 which ought to be carefully weighed by those who believe, that one has simply to take out his 

 notebook and to write down the names of trees, etc. that surround him. A correct understand- 

 ing of forests implies discrimination between characteristic and accidental constituents. 



The average height of the trees here is variable, ranging between 30 to 60 feet. Most of the 

 trees that will be enumerated hereafter under the head of Eng forests are also found here, but 

 those which occur more frequently are the following : Tristania Burmanica, Annedca fragrans, 

 Engelhardtia serrata, Dipferocarpus gonopterus, and obtusifolius (also D. tuberculatus is not 

 missed), Quercus semiserrata Brandisiana, Bancana and annulata, Lantana arhorea, Dillenia 

 augusta, Melanorrhoea glabra, Castanea, Dalbergia cultrata, Vitex sp., Pentacme Siamcnsis, Kijdia 

 calycina, Wendlandia sp., Rhus sp., Randia erythroclada, Schima,XyUa dolabriformis, Olca dentata, 

 Vernonia volkamericefol'ta, etc. 



The shrubby and perennial vegetation is almost the same as in the Eng forests, and so 

 are the few climbers. 



Of herbs, etc., we meet frequently with Urena lobata, Lepidagathis hyalina, Blumea flava 

 etc., Lygodiiim, Knoxia lasiocarpa, Acrocephalus capitatus, Scleria Uthosperma, Ophiurus corym- 

 bosus ? Arimdinelia sp., Inula cappa, Eugenia sp., (thabyay pyoo) Vernonia rigiophylla, Des- 

 modium gyroides, Exacum pteranthum, Mitreola, Crotalaria neriifoUa and albida, Flemmingia 

 latifoUa ? and inmlu-crata, Hedyotis galioides, Tropidia curculigoides, etc. 



Orchids, epiphytical on trees, along with ferns are almost the same as in the Eng forests. 

 Mosses, etc., are scarce, but lichens abound, especially the cortical ones ; there are however 

 but few stone-lichens. 



B. Eng or Laterite Forests. These forests grow, as the name already indicates, chiefly 

 on laterite, but occur also on other diluvial formations in a less developed form. These 

 diluvial formations are composed chiefly : 



{1.) Of a yellowish loose clayey sand soil. 



(2.) Of a reddish or rather rusty coloured sand soil, mixed with ferruginous clay. 



(3.) Of a yellowish heavy stiff clay. 



(4.) Of gravelly laterite with silica pebbles and debris. 



(5.) Of a pinkish coloured silicious gravel (especially in Prome). 



(6.) Of laterite rock, covered by flying fine sand. 



(7.) Of vesicular or cavernous ferruginous heavy laterite-roek, enclosing pebbles of silica 

 or other rocks (in the latter case similar to almond-stones and more or less disintegrated. 



(8.) Of a fine-grained angular ferruginous sand-stone ? or shales ? (especially in some 

 localities of the Rangoon district). 



The depressions in these lands are usually filled up with fine loose sand, clay or loam, 

 and are probably inundated during the rains. Such places are then overgrown chiefly by 

 grasses and sedges of a character which I denominate jungle-pastures (cf. 10, a). The 

 average height of these forests is variable, depending chiefly upon the depth of the substratum. 

 In pure laterite it is depressed to 30 to 40 feet while an admixture of a clayey or loamy soil 

 causes the Eng trees to grow up to a height of 70 to 80 feet. Most of the trees show dark- 

 ashgrey or blackish stems, usually covered by a very brittle cracked and tabulated thick 

 bark. With the exception of Eng and a few others, the trees are usually more or less crooked, 

 and many have the branching of their crowns gnarled and crooked, and, I might say, unpro- 

 portionately thick and ungraceful. All these give to these forests a peculiar aspect, 

 and, when growing on pure laterite, they possess to a great extent the habit of those alpine 

 stunted forests, which are exposed to prevailing storms. The principal tree is here, as 

 already mentioned, the Eng or Ein tree {^Dipterocarpus tuberculatus), but this tree is not 

 necessarily present in all localities, for there are many so called Eng-forests without a single 

 Eng tree in them. Where however laterite is exposed and forms a cavernous glazy rock, 

 Eng is the prevailing tree. Of the other trees, which occur in larger numbers, the follow- 

 ing are the more important : Dillenia pulcherrima, Shorea leucobotrya, Pentacme Siamensis, 

 Walsura villosa, Lophopetalum imllichii, Zizyphus rugosa, Buchanania latifoUa, Melanorrhwa 

 usitata, Symplocos racemosa, Biospyros Birmanicus, Myrsine-lucida Phyllanthus {Emblica) 

 macrocarpa, Aporosa macrophylla, and villosa, Dalbergia cultrata, Xylia dolabriformis, Wend- 

 landia tinctoria, Nauclea cordifolia, Terminalia tomentella (panga/i), Careya arborea, Lager- 

 atrmmia macrocarpa, Strychnos mix vomica, Hcteropanaui fragrans, Odina wodier, Pterocarpus 

 Indicm rare, Terminalia alata (tomentose toukkyan), several Randice, Gardeniw, such as 

 fr. pomifera, siiaris etc., a Sterculia, Eugenia Jambolana ?, Schleicher a trijuga, etc., etc. 



Also one or two stray trees, characterestic of lower mixed forests, are found here, and the 

 teak tree forms on a pure laterite spur near Karway on the Sittang an almost pure but small 

 forest, partaking quite the habits of other trees growing on laterite. 



On gravelly soil we find in the Prome district many other peculiar trees along with 

 the above, such as a new species of Leucomeris, a Tetranthcra, Dipterocarpus obtusifolius, a 

 atemless Cycas {'. Siamensis), Hiptage arborea, Rhus paniculata, Gardenia turgida and 



