iv TROPICAL FLORAS 53 



of species in New Guinea is probably as great, in equal 

 areas, as in Borneo or the Malay Peninsula, but that the 

 species are not so distinctly marked as in those countries. 

 They are what he terms second-grade species as compared 

 with the first-grade species of the latter. But he forms this 

 opinion chiefly from the palms, of which he makes a special 

 study. 



Dr. Lauterbach, who is engaged in describing the new 

 plant-collections recently obtained, is evidently much impressed 

 by them. He states that down to 1905 there were known 

 from German New Guinea 2048 species of flowering plants, 

 while about 1000 additional species had been found in other 

 parts of the island. But the last Dutch expedition, from the 

 portions of the collections he has examined, will probably 

 add another 1000 species. Again he says that from collec- 

 tions recently made by Schlechter in German New Guinea, 

 and through letters from him, an " immense increase in the 

 number of species is in prospect." A few more years of 

 such energetic collecting will disclose more of the treasures 

 of this the largest of the great tropical islands, while its 

 grand central chain of mountains may be expected to 

 produce a large amount of novelty and beauty. Dr. 

 Lauterbach's conclusion, in a letter to Prof. Beccari, is as 

 follows : " I believe, indeed, that one would not estimate it 

 too highly if one reckoned the sum total of the Papuan 

 Phanerogams at around number of 10,000." Considering 

 that New Guinea has more than double the area of the 

 Philippines (which Mr. Merrill also estimates may contain 

 10,000 species) ; that it is nine times the area of the Malay 

 Peninsula, which has already more than 5000 species 

 described; that it has the enormous length of 1500 miles, 

 all between o and 11 of S. latitude; that it has an ex- 

 tremely varied outline ; that it possesses abundant diversity 

 of hill and valley, and a central range of mountains which 

 have now been proved to rise far above the line of perpetual 

 snow ; and finally, that it is almost everywhere clad with 

 the most luxuriant forests, and enjoys that moist and equable 

 equatorial climate which is proved to be most favourable to 

 vegetable as well as to insect life, it seems to me probable 

 that it may ultimately prove to be among the richest areas 



