CHAPTER VIII 



The Flora of the Sea-shore — Santubong Peak — Strange Plants — 

 Nepenthes Veitchii — -Satang — Turtles — Excursion to Poe — 

 Austral Character of the Vegetation — More Notable Plants — 

 The Rafflesia — Gunong Gading — Freshwater Alg.e. 



DURING the rainy season, when the north-east monsoon blows, 

 it is so rough off the northern coast of Borneo that it is 

 difficult and often dangerous to go out to sea in the flat-bottomed 

 river boats, though in fine weather these are well adapted for 

 coasting. I had, therefore,. delayed investigating the littoral flora 

 of Sarawak. Now, however, with the arrival of June, this could 

 safely be done, for the weather was favourable. Being obliged for 

 the time being to leave Mattang in order to provide dried fish for 

 my men and fowls for myself, I decided instead of going to Kuching 

 to make a little tour along the coast, where I could get from the 

 fishermen what I wanted in the way of provisions. It gave me the 

 opportunity, at the same time, of gaining some idea of the nature 

 of the littoral vegetation. 



I therefore proceeded to Sibu, 1 a small hamlet beyond Salak 

 to the west. The sea-shore is sandy, and clothed pretty nearly 

 to the water's edge with tall Casuarinas of the common species, 

 the forest behind being mostly very thick and nearly impenetrable. 

 Trees of species widely distributed on tropical sea-shores abounded, 

 but amongst them were some restricted to Borneo. I found large 

 pandani, with gigantic arm-like branches supported by thick air- 

 roots, and numerous creepers, particularly frequent being those of 

 the genus Gnetum. Calami of a great variety of species also 

 abounded, rendering progress through the jungle extremely difficult, 

 though they compensate for this by their many useful qualities. 

 Where the sandy shore was free of trees a fairly extensive 

 flora of herbaceous plants of wide range had established itself. 

 Be ides various Cyperaceae and grasses, species of the following 

 g€ £ra — Crotalaria, Indigofera, Phaseolus, Vigna, Tephrosia, all 

 w ely distributed, were growing. The big violet corollas of two 

 coiivolvuli reminded me of the C. Soldanella of our Mediterranean 

 shores. 



In July I again left Mattang for the purpose of exploring the 



1 Not to be confounded with Sibu on the Rejang river. 



94 



