Vol. I] STEWART— BOTANY OF COCOS ISLAND 379 



which are used to make oil for lighting purposes when the 

 gunboat from Costa Rica delays its periodic trips too long. 

 There are no mangroves, possibly because of the absence of 

 quiet bays and lagoons. 



The interior of the island is covered for the most part with 

 rain-forests, in which the vegetation is usually so dense that 

 even at midday, with the sun shining, the light is almost as 

 diffuse as at twilight. In such places there is an intense strug- 

 gle among plants to gain the light — in consequence of which 

 both epiphytes and lianes are very abundant in individuals, if 

 not in species. The following list includes the species in the 

 collection which are either epiphytes or lianes : 



Anthurium scandens 

 Ipomoea cathartica 

 Lycopodium linifolium 

 Oleandra nodosa 

 Philodendron sp. 

 Selaginella Galeottii 

 Tassadia coluhrina 

 Tillandsia sp. 

 Trichomanes capillaceum. 



In addition to the above, there are several lianes which are in 

 a sterile condition, so that even their generic relations cannot 

 be determined. One of these is the most important liane on the 

 island, extending in rope-like masses from tree to tree, often 

 supporting hanging baskets of Tillandsias and other epiphytes. 



Unfortunately specimens of the large forest trees are but 

 poorly represented in the collection, because of the fact that 

 the most of the forest trees tower a hundred or more feet 

 above the ground. Since the foliage is almost invariably at 

 the top, specimens could not be obtained without cutting down 

 the trees — which was too much of an undertaking. I used to 

 look up longingly at the tops of these trees, wishing that I 

 could obtain specimens ; but I have since learned that it is the 

 common experience of botanists to be unable to obtain speci- 

 mens of the forest trees while collecting in tropical rain- 

 forests. 



Besides the trees of Hibiscus and Clusia, mentioned above, 

 there is at least one species of Cecropia which commonly 



