158 D. Prain — Little Andaman and the Nicohars. [Dec. 



arina equisetifoUa is here very plentiful immediately behind the beach. 

 This species, the writer was informed at Port Blair, is equally plentiful in 

 the whole circuit of the coast, so much so that the Andamanese name for 

 the island is Wirra-Maru, Anglice " Casuarina-sand." In Great Andaman 

 this tree, as an indigenous species, is confined to a single bay on the west 

 side of North Island. As in Great Andaman there are no Coco-nut 

 trees on the coast. On the reefs the chief distinctive features are the 

 presence of beds oi Halophila ovalis and considerable quantities of 

 Halimeda discoidea. The visit took place between half-tide and full-tide 

 and no exposed rocks were seen in the vicinity at the time. 



Leaving about 6 p. M. the " Nancowry " steamed to Car Nicobar to 

 land some men belonging to Kimios village, who had been in prison at 

 Port Blair. Sawi Bay was reached on Saturday morning and two men 

 of Moos village, with their canoe, were taken on board to assist in landing 

 on Batti Malv. Owing to the heavy surf running it was found that land- 

 ing in Kimios Bay would be very difficult ; the vessel therefore, about 

 2 p. M., anchored off another village 5 miles to the north and the writer 

 was able to land, and walk to Kimios and back, along two jungle paths, 

 collecting by the way and getting on board again at dusk. Owing to 

 the short time available attention could only be directed to the sea-fence, 

 the beach-forest, the under-growth of the Coco-nut zone, and the mere 

 outskirts of the interior jungle. Car Nicobar is so well-known that 

 no particular notice of its appearance is necessary. There is the usual 

 fringing-reef with a sandy beach, behind this the sea-fence, and within 

 that a zone of beach-forest, of which the area under Coco-nut trees forms 

 an integral portion. The indigenous species are very much like those of 

 the Andamans in similar places — the great distinguishing feature being, 

 of course, the wide Coco-nut zone. The Coco-nuts themselves are parti- 

 cularly fine, and though at Port Blair the finest sorts of Nicobarese and 

 Ceylonese Coco-nuts are carefully cultivated they do not equal those of 

 Car Nicobar either in flavour or size. Yet those of Car Nicobar are 

 said to be by no means the best that the Nicobars can produce. The 

 true interior forest and the grass heaths the writer had no opportunity 

 of examining. 



In the night the ^^ Nancowry " proceeded to Batti Malv, which was 

 reached at dawn on Easter-day, and the writer, going on shore at once, 

 spent the greater part of the day there, collecting. Landing, even with 

 the assistance of the Nicobarese and their canoe, was effected with con- 

 siderable difficulty at the north-west corner of the island, where alone it 

 is said to be possible to go on shore. At this point the shore is precipitous, 

 sinking into deep water without any coral fringing-reef and rising into 

 a jagged wall broken somewhat by gullies and small caverns, nearly 



