46 COLONIAL REPORTS MISCELLANEOUS. 



plants occur, and in localities exposed to strong winds as on 

 some of the higher summits both the lianes and their tree 

 supports are to be seen leaning over to one side in the direction of 

 the prevalent air currents. Here the tree growth is also more or 

 less stunted. These differences in growth are found within 

 quite a small range of altitude, the highest summits of the hills 

 being only a few hundred feet above the level of the valley, 

 which, however, from its shut-in position, is fairly well protected 

 against dry winds -a fact that explains the markedly humid 

 character of the air below, which together with the moisture in 

 the soil by the sides of the streams induces the luxuriant tropical 

 vegetation to be found there. 



Another day was spent in furthur exploration of the sur- 

 rounding forests, and then a return was made to our main camp 

 on the Tano River. I was rather disappointed in these forests as 

 we were led to understand by the guides that they were extensive 

 and practically virgin in character. This we found to be very 

 far from the case, and the whole tract of country showed un- 

 mistakable signs of having been once pretty well inhabited. 

 Large tracts of forest were found to be of secondary origin, and 

 signs of villages having once existed here were also not wanting. 

 In fact, on our return to the village (Tomento) the chief admitted 

 that a very long time ago the country had been inhabited by 

 people who had since moved westwards. 



The proportion of valuable timber trees to the other species 

 is also comparatively small in the forests examined, which are 

 otherwise, on account of the absence of villages, &c., well suited 

 for reservation. 



On the llth February, 1908, we left Tomento to return to the 

 railway. Proceeding by the road Tomento-Agona-Manso- 

 Totonso-Supon-Princesu-Dunkwa we arrived at the last place, 

 which is situated on the railway, on the 17th of that month. 



The wooded country traversed during this journey is situated 

 within the drainage systems of the Tano, Ankobra, and Prah 

 "Rivers. The portion in the Tano basin lies to the north-east of 

 Tomento, and extends in that direction almost as far as the 

 village of Manso, which is just outside it, and belongs to the 

 Ankobra drainage. These forests of the Tano basin are chiefly of 

 secondary growth and comparatively young, the older ones, 

 approaching the virgin condition, being confined to the summits 

 of some of the higher hills which are situated between Brimang 

 and Manso. As a rale the valleys are swampy and occupied by a 

 dense growth of Raphms and scandent palms belonging to the 

 genera Calamus and Ancistrophyllum. Outside these swampy 

 areas, however, the vegetation thoiigh still of the evergreen 

 tropical type is intermixed with a fairly large proportion of 

 deciduous leafed species which give it a somewhat drier look than 

 the typical moist evergreen forest to be met with nearer the 

 coast. This drier form of evergreen forest has already been 

 described when dealing with the forests seen near the Tano River 

 and is the predominant kind of forest vegetation met with from 

 Manso due eastwards to the railway. In swampy areas and 

 along the banks of the larger streams it of course reverts to a 



