292 D. Prain— 27ie Vegetation of the Coco Group. [No. 4, 



foxiest is being composed by accretion, while at the north end a mangrove 

 forest is invading the sea. The west coast of Great Coco is more or less 

 rocky and abrupt, for nearly the whole extent of the island. 



No denudation is taking place in Table Island, the shores of which 

 rise rather abruptly from the beach in most of its circumference, though 

 there is a bay at the north side looking towards Slipper Island that is 

 fringed with Pempliis acidula and has a small flat space immediately 

 within its Pandanus fence. 



When the beach between the reef and the Pandamis sea-fence 

 consists of coral sand it is usual to find outside the jungle proper a belt 

 of Ipomoea biloha, at times covered with parasitic Gassytha ; where it is 

 composed of shingle Ipomoea biloha may also occur, though it is more 

 usual to find its place taken by Ipomoea denticulata. Along with these 

 Ipomceas occur Uuphorhia Atoto and, less frequently, Sesuviiim Portulacas- 

 trum. Usually just within these occurs the common sea-face jungle- 

 fence of Pa?icZa?ms, Sophora tomentosa, Ccesalpinia Bond^icella, Tournefortia 

 argentea, Besmodium iimhellat^tm, Premna integrifolia, Clerodendron inerme, 

 Golubtina asiatica, Ganavalia obtusifolia, Vigna lutea, Guettarda speciosa, 

 AUophykts Gobhe, etc., and then, particularly if the beach is a shingle 

 one, as trees in the same zone, Ixora brumiescens, Terminalia Gatappa, very 

 common, Stephegyne diversifolia, Thespesia populnea, Hernandia peltata, 

 Erythrina indica, Pongamia glabra, Ficus RitmpMi, Barringtonia speciosa, 

 Gyrocarpus Jacquinii, etc., with a thin line of Cocos nucifera growing up 

 slantingly beneath these and stretching their crowns seawards as if in 

 search of light. Where the beach is sandy the sea-face jungle makes a 

 less dense hedge, and within it lies a flat space of sandy soil with a grove 

 of Gocos nucifera, stretching back from 10 to 100 yards to where, usually 

 on lower and muddy ground tunnelled by Gardisoma and other land- 

 crabs, commences a dense jungle that shades off almost insensibly into the 

 vegetation of a true mangrove-swamp. The sand beneath the coco-nut 

 trees in these groves is covered in Great Coco by a close sward of Thuarea 

 sarmentosa, with here and there patches of Ipomoea biloha, clumps of 

 Tacca pinnatifida, or large examples of Grinum asiaticum and Gycas Rurri' 

 phii, and with patches of Eranthemum here and there beneath these. 

 The more rocky portions of the coast have in the sea-face jungle-fence 

 described above some other species that do not seem to care for sand or 

 shingle, such as Hibiscus tiliaceus, Taherncemontana crispa, Desmodium 

 polycarpon and Desmodium triquetrum, Briedelia, Derris uliginosa, Pluchea 

 indica, etc. Within the coco-nut zone on the flat land we meet with 

 more Gyrocarpus Jacquinii, with the Andamanese Bullet- wood (Mimus- 

 ops littoralis), various species of Dipterocarpiis, Miliusa sp., common, 

 and some species of il/>//'aceoe ; the climbing undei'growth in this tract 



