﻿4 
  Capt. 
  G. 
  E. 
  Shelley 
  on 
  Birds 
  

  

  were 
  spent 
  at 
  three 
  different 
  sites 
  on 
  this 
  high 
  plateau, 
  and 
  

   good 
  collections 
  of 
  its 
  natural 
  history 
  were 
  made, 
  although 
  

   rain 
  and 
  mist 
  occasionally 
  interfered 
  with 
  the 
  operations 
  of 
  

   the 
  naturalists. 
  

  

  The 
  flora 
  of 
  the 
  mountain 
  proved 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  great 
  interest, 
  

   being 
  quite 
  distinct 
  from 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  surrounding 
  plains, 
  and 
  

   even 
  from 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  lower 
  slopes. 
  Tree-ferns 
  were 
  found 
  

   to 
  attain 
  a 
  great 
  size 
  in 
  the 
  damp, 
  shady 
  forest, 
  and 
  one 
  was 
  

   measured 
  30 
  feet 
  in 
  height 
  and 
  2 
  feet 
  in 
  diameter 
  at 
  its 
  base. 
  

   The 
  display 
  of 
  wild 
  flowers 
  is 
  described 
  as 
  " 
  gorgeous. 
  ^^ 
  

   Creamy-white 
  and 
  yellow 
  heliclirysums, 
  mingled 
  with 
  purple 
  

   and 
  blue 
  orchids 
  and 
  irises, 
  and 
  graceful 
  snow-white 
  ane- 
  

   mones 
  were 
  all 
  blooming 
  in 
  wild 
  profusion, 
  and 
  rearing 
  their 
  

   heads 
  from 
  a 
  bed 
  of 
  bright 
  green 
  grassy 
  sward. 
  But 
  the 
  

   most 
  striking 
  botanical 
  feature 
  of 
  the 
  plateau 
  of 
  Milanji 
  was 
  

   the 
  cypresses, 
  formerly 
  apparently 
  quite 
  abundant, 
  but 
  now 
  

   confined 
  to 
  a 
  few 
  of 
  the 
  upper 
  ravines 
  and 
  valleys, 
  where 
  the 
  ' 
  

   annual 
  bush-fires, 
  which 
  take 
  place 
  in 
  the 
  dry 
  months 
  of 
  

   August 
  and 
  September, 
  cannot 
  reach 
  them. 
  In 
  some 
  places 
  

   hundreds 
  of 
  these 
  giant 
  trees 
  thus 
  destroyed 
  lay 
  prostrate, 
  

   piled 
  one 
  above 
  another 
  in 
  eveiy 
  stage 
  of 
  destruction. 
  One 
  

   of 
  these 
  dead 
  conifers 
  was 
  found 
  to 
  measure 
  LiO 
  feet 
  in 
  

   length 
  and 
  5^ 
  feet 
  in 
  diameter 
  at 
  5 
  feet 
  from 
  its 
  base. 
  The 
  

   foliage 
  of 
  this 
  cypress 
  is 
  juniper-like. 
  The 
  timber, 
  of 
  a 
  dull 
  

   reddish-white 
  colour, 
  is 
  of 
  excellent 
  quality 
  and 
  easily 
  

   worked. 
  Eipe 
  cones 
  of 
  this 
  fine 
  tree 
  were 
  procured, 
  and, 
  as 
  

   stated 
  in 
  a 
  subsequent 
  letter, 
  have 
  already 
  germinated 
  in 
  the 
  

   experimental 
  garden 
  at 
  Zomba"^. 
  

  

  The 
  fauna 
  of 
  the 
  mountain 
  was 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  nearly 
  

   equal 
  interest 
  to 
  the 
  flora, 
  but 
  in 
  the 
  short 
  space 
  of 
  time 
  

   available 
  it 
  was 
  not 
  possible 
  to 
  make 
  so 
  nearly 
  a 
  complete 
  

   collection. 
  Raptorial 
  birds 
  were 
  very 
  scarce, 
  but 
  Passeres 
  

   were 
  plentiful. 
  The 
  grassy 
  lands 
  of 
  the 
  summits 
  were 
  

   tenanted 
  by 
  a 
  small^ 
  dark 
  brown 
  Quail, 
  a 
  Pipit, 
  two 
  Grass- 
  

  

  * 
  This 
  so-called 
  " 
  cypress 
  " 
  is 
  a 
  new 
  conifer 
  of 
  the 
  genus 
  Widdring- 
  

   tonia, 
  -sTliich 
  will 
  be 
  described 
  as 
  Widdringtonia 
  uhytii 
  in 
  a 
  paper 
  upon 
  

   the 
  plants 
  collected 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Whyte, 
  now 
  Ijeing 
  prepared 
  in 
  the 
  Botanical 
  

   Department 
  of 
  the 
  Briti.-li 
  Museuni. 
  

  

  