TOPOGEAPHY OF THE PHILIPPINES. 



267 



Both shores are fringed by primeval forest, interrupted only by a few village clear- 

 ings and their cocoa-nut groves. Here and there occur picturesque cliffs pierced 

 by caverns where the islanders formerly deposited their dead. In the vicinity of 

 Basey on the Samar side opposite Tacloban the poisonous plant known as Saint 



Fig. 117. — Ilo-Ilo and Strait of GTnMAEA.s. 

 Scale 1 : 650,000. 



I22°50- 



Lasborbreenwicn 



Ig3' 



Depths. 



0to5 

 Fathoms. 



5 to 100 

 Fathoms. 



100 Fathoms 

 and upwards. 



■ 12 Miles. 



Ignatius' bean [Strychnos Ignatia amara) grows in the greatest profusion. Another 

 tree of the dicterocarpus species yields the baJao or nuilapajo, a resinous oil, which 

 is highly prized for its property of preserving iron from rust. 



Panay, situated about the centre of the archipelago, is relatively the most 



