CHAP. XII. TREE FERNS AND SINGULAR BAMBOOS. 321 



nitude, apparently of hard wood and slow growth, excepting 

 some of the dombeyas, which were magnificent trees. I 

 noticed but few orchids, or parasitical plants of any kind; 

 but creepers were abundant. Amongst them, some singu- 

 larly curious bamboos. Of one kind the cane was almost as 

 small as a quill, with a circle of fine small branches or leaves 

 around every joint, the joints being not more than five or six 

 inches apart. The long slender canes were often nine or ten 

 feet long, hanging pendant from the branches of the trees, 

 or stretching in graceful curves from tree to tree along the 

 sides of the road. I saw numbers of a species of medinilla, 

 and a flower very much like a Lophospermum scandens, but 

 growing on a shrubby plant. There were also some pretty 

 purple flowered orchises, and a few lycopodiums ; but it was 

 the very Eden of ferns. 



Tree ferns here exhibit great variety of form and foliage, 

 and some of these truly magnificent plants were visible in 

 every part of the forest ; while, amongst the dwarf species, 

 new ferns were coutinually presenting themselves. I only 

 obtained a few fronds of some that were nearest to the path ; 

 and it was sometimes quite tantalising to see, perhaps half 

 way down the opposite side of a steep clay-formed ravine, a 

 group of ferns exceedingly beautiful, and apparently new, 

 but quite beyond present reach. On such occasions, I found 

 myself involuntarily exclaiming, " Oh you beauties ! I must 

 have you ! " But I was seldom able to do more than point 

 them out to a young chief who might be walking by my side, 

 and request him to mark well the spot, that we might re- 

 member it on our return. 



Early the next morning we took our departure from the 

 station of Alamazaotra, and, ascending the opposite bank of 

 the river, again entered the forest, and pursued our way 

 through the same sort of wood for about an hour, when we 

 emerged into an open grassy country, with a comparatively 



