Occasional Notes. 383 



jungle along the western slopes of the higher ridges, the 

 common species of Bonnetia (B. Roraimce) being at 

 once the most abundant and the largest, reaching to a 

 height of more than thirty feet. Three species of birds, 

 a mammal, a toad, an earthworm, a woodlouse, two 

 spiders, two myriapods, a dragon-fly, a butterfly and a 

 few other small inse6ls — chiefly beetles, — are to be 

 found on the summit, and doubtless more complete 

 examination will greatly extend the list. The sand- 

 stone and conglomerate which form the entire mass 

 of the summit, are worked into almost every conceivable 

 grotesque shape, and are more or less darkened by 

 weather and saturation with water, fine layers of sandy 

 shale here and there proje6ling from the mass. Clouds 

 and mists of various degrees of density constantly lie on 

 or pass across some portion of the plateau and made it a 

 difficult matter to secure good photographs. The cold 

 winds and low temperature (47^ Y.) make it necessary 

 to secure good shelter for the night ; while the rugged 

 chara6ter of the plateau entails a considerable amount of 

 time for its exploration. Descending on the evening of 

 the gth, at the urgent entreaty of our Indians, to the 

 village at the base of the slope, we had to make arrange- 

 ments for leaving on the 12th, and after a journey of 11 

 days, via the portage of Kalisha-sararu on the Kotinga 

 and Karona Falls on the Ireng, we arrived at Kwaimatta 

 on the 23rd November after an absence of 36 days. A 

 more detailed account will be given later. 



3C2 



