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conditions contribute to a more luxuriant type of vegetation 

 They are covered chiefly with cogon, with small thickets of 

 shrubbery in a few places. Of especial interest were several 

 clumps of bamboo, not only near the shore, but also back some 

 distance inland, and a single clump of banana. Both of these 

 species are intimately associated with man and are seldom or 

 never seen away from cultivation. Since the government now 

 forbids settlements on the island, we considered these two species 

 as relics antedating the eruption. 



Our boats passed between several of these outlying islets, and 

 finally landed on a broad flat beach of volcanic ash. This was 

 entirely of deltal origin, and was composed of material washed 

 down from the hills behind. At either side of the delta, the 

 hills came to the water's edge, and were densely covered by cogon 

 grass. We had scarcely landed before some of the boys set fire 

 to it, and the flames ran up the hill with a great crackling. 

 Firing the cogon seems to be a common practice, and of course 

 effectually prevents the establishment of the forest. 



Most of the delta was without vegetation. In the moist 

 spots were green algae, and loose patches of the tall reed, PJirag- 

 mites karka. There were a few mats of Ipomoea pes-caprae, 

 a few shrubs of Acacia Farnesiana, a few tufts of cogon grass, 

 a single plant of the yellow-flowered composite Wedelia hiflora, 

 and plenty of small driftwood. The latter was found far enough 

 up the delta to prove its insular origin, although Ipomoea, 

 Wedelia, and Acacia have probably reached the island by water. 

 Near the upper end of the delta was a single small plant of an 

 Amor pho phallus , its stem about sixteen inches high, and much 

 too small comparatively for its large underground parts. We 

 believed that it had persisted through the eruption, and had 

 later washed down to the delta and established itself there. 



This delta was the deposit from an immense ravine which 

 entered it from the south and which had its inception high up 

 on the outer wall of the volcano proper. We turned inlancl 

 along the side or crest of its west wall twoard the crater. During 

 the first part of the way, the vegetation was a dense growth of 

 healthy cogon, forming close jungles much higher than one's 



