xv] THE RETURN JOURNEY 



account of the meeting of two contrary currents off the point. We 

 were soon back in our quiet cove. Near it, as at Satang and Sam- 

 padien, there are patches of sandy beach, where turtles land to 

 deposit their eggs. On the overhanging and more inaccessible cliffs 

 Collocalia nidifica builds its edible nests ; at least, I believe it to be 

 that species, although I obtained neither specimens of the bird nor 

 of its nest. 



It is notable that all along the coast, from Tanjong Datu to 

 Bruni, there are no coral banks, so frequent elsewhere in Malaysia, 

 and their absence causes that of a host of associated marine pro- 

 ductions on the entire coast of North Borneo. Tanjong Datu is 

 mostly formed of granite, together with serpentines and other meta- 

 morphic rocks. 



At low tide I collected seaweeds, and got some very fine species, 

 several new to science. 1 A Sargassum was very abundant amongst 

 the rocks, which turned out to be Sargassum angustifolium, I. Ag. 

 On no portion of the Bornean coast, however, have I found algse so 

 varied and abundant as they are on the coasts of the Mediterranean 

 and the Red Sea. The sandy bottom, continually shifted by big 

 waves during the north-east monsoon, and the deposits carried 

 down by the many large rivers, prevent the development of cellular 

 marine plants, and along with them that varied and marvellous 

 world of sea creatures which require clear and tranquil waters for 

 their reproduction. 



Beginning my return journey I visited another small cove, where 

 I collected a few plants and some littoral land snails, very abundant 

 in low spots amidst rotting vegetable detritus thrown up and accu- 

 mulated by the sea. 



At 2 a.m. on the 18th, with a favourable tide and splendid moon- 

 light, we paddled for about an hour and came to another small bay, at 

 the head of which we found a little streamlet of beautiful water. 

 Here we anchored again, and as soon as daylight came I collected 

 shells, seaweeds, and other plants. On the rocks in this inlet grew 

 a very fine species of Pandanus ; its straight cylindrical stem, sup- 

 ported on large aerial roots, was about thirty feet high, and was 

 divided above into several horizontal branches, again forking once 

 or twice, and terminating in tufts of rather broad leaves similar in 

 aspect to those of Crinum giganteum. It was, perhaps, Pandanus 

 dubius, Spreng., or an allied species. 



The next day no collections were made. We reached and anchored 

 at Samattang, a village of ten houses, inhabited by Malays and a few 

 Chinamen. Between Tanjong Datu and Samattang are only four 

 insignificant streams, hardly, if at all, navigable, even for small 



1 Amongst these, Dictyota maxima, Zan., and D. Beccariana, Zan., are 

 the most remarkable. (Cf. Zanardini. " Phycearum indicarum pugillus a 

 CI. Ed. Beccari, etc., collectarum." Venezia, 1872.) 



227 



