THE BOTANY OF MILAN JI. 245 



doomed to speedy destruction. It is deplorable to witness the 

 devastating effects of the annual bush-fires, from which even this 

 lofty and almost inaccessible retreat is not exempt. During the 

 dry months of August and September, these fires, originating from 

 the villages on the lower slopes of the mountain, gradually creep 

 up the precipitous cliffs from tuft to tuft of grass, until at last they 

 reach the grassy plateau. Once there, the work of destruction is 

 rapid. The fire rages over the table-land, and eats its way along 

 the edges of the remaining belts of forest, thus annually scorching, 

 if not burning, the bark and timber of the outside trees, and killing 

 outright the young seedlings. In exceptionally dry seasons it 

 appears that these fires have even penetrated some of the damp 

 forests, and hundreds of giant C3 7 presses lay prostrate and piled on 

 each other in all stages of destruction, but generally consumed 

 right through at the base of the tree. I measured several of these 

 dead conifers, and one (by no means the largest to be met with) 

 was 140 ft. in length and 5£ ft. diameter at 6 ft. from its base, and 

 with a clear straight stem of 90 ft. in length. The cones of this 

 species of cypress (which may be new to science) are somewhat 

 smaller than a chestnut of the same shape, t. e., longer than broad, 

 and open into four scales or segments, each having a spur-like knob 

 at its apex, and covering five or six winged seeds. The foliage is 

 of the usual juniper-like description, and the timber is of a dull 

 reddish white colour, of excellent quality, and easily worked. The 

 bark on old trees is of great thickness, consisting of layers annually 

 shed and renewed. I selected sections of this valuable timber tree, 

 which I hope to send home with the other Milanji specimens by an 

 early date. Seeds of it are put in nursery beds in the Residency 

 experimental gardens at Zomba, and I trust the tree will thrive in 

 its new habitat there. One or two other species of Cuprtssus were 

 met with, but of dwarf and scrubby growth. 



■• Tree-ferns attain to a great size iu the damp, shady forests of 

 the plateau, and one I measured was 30 ft. in height and 2 ft. in 

 diameter at its base. I hope to send home sections of them also. 



11 Never before have I met with more gorgeous displays of wild 

 flowers than those to be seen in some favoured nooks of these 

 highlands. There we observed creamy- white and yellow lieli- 

 chrysums, mingling with purple and blue orchids and irises, and 

 graceful snow-white anemones, all blooming in wild profusion, aud 

 rearing their heads from a bed of bright green grassy sward — a 

 floral carpet, which Nature alone can fashion. Altogether we pro- 

 cured several thousand specimens of dried plants of many species, 

 which, I trust, will be of benefit to science, Many of the trees had 

 not come in flower, and the ferns had not matured their fronds and 

 seeds. The grass-lands also had been too recently burned to permit 

 of many of the plants reaching the flowering stage." 



