LH. Gulick on the Climate and Productions of Ponape. 48 
scarcely discern a house of the hundreds that are scattered along 
its éntire circumference ; and but for the smoke of domestic fires 
and the canoes gliding with magic sail and paddle within the 
encircling reef, the island might readily be thought uninhabited. 
The whole island is but an uninterrupted forest, with the excep- 
tion of a few spots on the leeward slopes that are covered with 
a short coarse grass, whose green is of quite a yellow cast, and 
contrasts strongly with the intensely deep—almost black—green 
of the surrounding thickets. These grassy areas embrace from 
3 or 4 to 50 or 100 acres. The soil of these spots is a very com- 
pact, reddish—almost ochreous—clay. 
e growths of heavy timber are by no means confined to 
the dry land, but extend far out on to the coral flats, wherever 
the alluvial deposits before mentioned are lodged, there forming 
very extensive mangrove swamps, in which are found seve 
kinds of trees, but principally varieties of the Rhizophora. 
These marine trees are themselves active agents in promoting 
the accumulation of alluvium, their numerous adventitious roots 
conservatively detaining the mobile particles. The area of 
these swamps is yearly extending; the intervening spaces be- 
= more and more green, nibeerncs since the desolations by 
: as fishi 
idly germinating mangrove. 
e luxury of vegetation gives a peculiar softness to the 
scenery of this otherwise rugged islan 
many trop 
islands. Nor does the uniformity ce only to color ;—even 
mantling canopy of vines bind tree to tree, bridge every slight 
hiatus, and blend every peculiarity in one gently undulating 
od. With the exception of two or three varieties of palms, 
that occasionally skirt the shore like the cocoanut, or stand in 
princely distinctness like the sago, the eye vainly seeks for some- 
thing in form or altitude to relieve the luxurious scene. 
_ There are several representatives of the family Aroide. Some 
of them in the damp forests run up to the height of trees, and 
send out branches, and may be climbed. The stems, or rather 
aerial portions of the root, of those that the natives name Ot, 
but whose scientific designations I cannot determine, make a 
very palatable and nutritious food, especially in times of scarcity, 
ae veral varieties of the Arum esculentum grow wild, and are occa=. 
____ sionally eaten, but they are of an inferior quality, compared with , 
