TERRESTRIAL LEECHES. 425 



flabelliformis), and the slender tapering Betel-nut palm 

 (Areca oleraced) ; while the showy-looking Papaw (Carica 

 Papaya), and here and there a Rhambutan tree (Nephe- 

 lium Cappaceum}, or a dark-leaved Guava (Psidium 

 pyriferum) will contrast with the golden fruit of the 

 "Limau gadang," or Shaddock. The Bamboo (Arundo 

 Bambos) forms extensive groves at the back of many of 

 the houses, and the Pine-apple (Bromelia ananas) 

 luxuriates in the dark damp shady nooks. If you leave 

 the neighbourhood of man, and take a stroll towards the 

 river's bank, you may see the showy Pontederia brighten- 

 ing the fluviatile swamps with its azure blossoms. Close 

 to the water's edge the "Paku Grudu" (Cycas circinalis) 

 frequently grows luxuriantly, and a gigantic kind 

 of Burr-weed (Sparganium), whose yellow, compound 

 flowers, form quite a gay relief to the universal green 

 that encloses them on every side, and whose singular 

 fruits are sure to arrest the attention of the traveller. At 

 Bulungan, the forest on the banks of the river, was full of 

 leeches and Planaritf, some of them very handsomely 

 marked. The Leeches crawl upon the leaves and fasten 

 to the skin as you brush by the branches, but the 

 Planaria live upon the ground and are found sticking to 

 the dead damp leaves. 



The Nibong Palm (Areca Tigillaria, Jack) so often 

 alluded to in the course of the work as one of the 

 principal trees which furnish posts, rafters, and floorings 

 of the houses in Borneo, perhaps demands here a brief 

 notice. The tree is surrounded at each girdle of growth 

 by a cincture of sharp thorns, which are more numerous 

 and needle-shaped as we approach the leaves ; the head 



