ON THE RIVERS AND CREEKS. 187 



Suddenly the clump of palms is torn up bodily, 

 the mass floats down-stream, clearing away a hun- 

 dred other obstructions, and goes down to the sea, 

 to be perhaps thrown ashore a perfect tangle of 

 fibres and broken stems. 



When a giant mora is undermined by the flood, 

 and can no longer be supported by its weaker 

 neighbours, it comes down with a great crash, 

 carrying destruction to everything in its way. A 

 score of smaller trees will have their heads torn off 

 or limbs severed, and perhaps a hundred palms 

 marantas, and low bushes, be smashed to pieces. 

 The great branches get broken in the fall, but still 

 the tree rarely rests on the ground as there is such 

 a great heap of debris under its head. At the 

 other end the great mass of roots has been driven 

 backwards, ploughing up a groove, which is imme- 

 diately taken over by the flood and excavated 

 deeper to make up for the partial obstruction of 

 the immense bole. Now comes the grand work of 

 clearing, or stowing away, such an immense trunk, 

 which is not accomplished for several years. First 

 the branches are invaded by hordes of termites, 

 which build their great black nests in the upper 

 forks, and tunnel every part down to the great 

 trunk. As this weakens the props they break off 

 and the trunk settles down more and more until it, 



