392 



D. Prain — The Vegetation of the Coco Group, 



[No. 4,' 



between species tlie seeds or fruits of whicli may arrive attached to 

 the bodies of birds, and species of which the fruits and seeds have been 

 eaten. The species carried externally will be first considered and may 

 further be conveniently subdivided into two sub-groups, viz., species 

 that have probably been inti'oduced only by swimming- or wading-birds, 

 and species inti'oduced by birds of any kind. The species of the first 

 kind give a sub-group distinguished by an aquatic or paludine habitat, 

 and characterised by small inconspicuous fruits or seeds that readily 

 become attached, along with pellets of mud, to the feet, the leg-feathers, 

 or the feathers at the base of the bill, of birds frequenting pools and 

 marshes. The following table exhibits the whole of this kind present in 

 the Coco Group. 



Table XIX. Distribution of the species probably introduced by 

 swimming or wading birds. 





o 



S. E. Asia. 



c3 



1 



a 

 'o 







h- 1 

 X 



',5 

 o 



a 



X 



c3 

 X 



ai 



a 

 < 



Nymphsea Lotus 



X 



— 



Limnanthemum indicura 



X 



X 



X 



X 



X 



X 



X 



Hygrophila quadrivalvis 



— 



X 



X 



— 



— 



— 



— 



Lippia nodiflora 



X 



X 



X 



X 



X 



X 



X 



5. Polygonum barbatum .. . 



X 



X 



X 



X 



X 





— 



Zanichellia palustria ... 



X 



X 



X 



X 



X 



X 



X 



Cyperus polystachyns 



X 



X 



X 



X 



X 



X 



X 



Cyperus elegans 



— 



X 



X 



X 



— 



— 



— 



Cyperus dilutus 



— 



X 



X 



X 



~ 



— 



— 



10. Fimbristylis quinqueangularis ... 



X 



X 



X 



X 



X 



— 



— 



Fimbristylis miliacea ... 



X 



X 



X 



X 



X 



— 



X 



Scirpna snbulatns 



X 



X 



X 



— 



— 



— 



— 



Paspaluin scrobiculatum 



X 



X 



X 



X 



X 



— 



— 



Panicum Mynrus 



X 



X 



X 



X 



X 



X 



X 



15. Ceratopteris thalictroides 



X 



X 



X 



X 



X 



X 



X 



Chara fcEtida 



~~ 



X 



X 



X 





~ 



" 



The next table gives the analysis of this distribution ; the most 

 striking feature the two tables reveal is the extent to which species of this 

 kind are cosmopolitan. Among the non-cosmopolitan species the indica- 

 tions are altogether in favour of introdaction from the northward and 

 westward, for while only 10 of the species occur in Australia, and only 

 the 6, which are all cosmopolitan, occur in Polynesia, 12 occur in Africa 

 and 7 in America. Of the more local distribution we learn that none need 

 necessarily have been introduced from Malaya since the 14 that occur 



