110 S. Kurz — A Sketch of the Vegetation of the Nicobar Islands. [No. 3, 



represented by Ficus Indica and F. retusa, the plank-like compressed roots 

 of which often extend far into it and afford the only firm footing ; while on 

 other islands Pandanus Leram takes possession of them. Little else grows 

 on this black marshy gronnd except here and there a Polygonum or a 

 Helminthostachys. Lemna paucicostata is often frequent here, and a 

 JVajas too was observed. These jungle-swamps are the natural reservoirs 

 of drinking water for the Nicobarese, who simply dig a hole into the 

 mould, wherein the water collects. 



(ii) . True Tropical Forests. — These forests grow on different substrata, 

 and those growing on the calcareous sandstone of Katchall and of the other 

 islands of the southern group will have to be distinguished from those 

 which grow on polycistina-clay and on plutonic rocks. Having, however, for 

 several reasons been prevented from exploring these forests on Katchall, I can 

 only testify to the truth of Dr. Rink's statement that those of them which 

 grow on the shady side of the ridges are, like those that grow on j)lutonic 

 rocks, the loftiest forests on the islands and hence most difficult to explore ; 

 the south-west exposures, however, of these ridges on Katchall are covered 

 by a stunted forest wherein the trees are not crowded, and which, to judge 

 from the colour of rounded crowns, must be very poor in species. 



The Andamanese bullet-wood tree (Mimusops littoralis) is frequent 

 along the coast of Katchall, and I met with fallen trunks of it which 

 measured 80 feet clear stem by 10 to 12 ft. in girth. 



I will, therefore, restrict my remarks solely to the tropical forests as 

 they are represented on the polycistina-clay of Kamorta. This island is 

 formed chiefly of this clay, while only the extreme S. W. part (hills 

 about 1,000 feet high) consists of plutonic rocks. The forests, however, 

 do not cover the whole of this formation, but abruptly terminate just 

 below the top of the hilly plateaux, although two broad strips of tropical 

 forest cross the whole island. The trees at the upper limit rather suddenly 

 become stunted, as if unfavourable exposure had checked their growth 

 and given them the appearance of having reached the limit of tree- 

 growth. The cause of the abrupt demarcation of these trojncal forests and 

 the grass-heaths on the very same substratum remains a mystery to 

 me. Above all the trees, however high, a palm towers majestically, and in 

 such quantity as to form, as it were, a palm-forest above the other trees. This 

 is Areca augusta. The lofty or large trees (many of which, however, be- 

 come quite stunted at the outskirts of the forest bordering the grass-heaths) 

 are chiefly the following : — Artocarpus peduncularis and A. pomiformis, 

 Padermachera Lobbii, Eugenia occlusa, Sterculia campanulata, Symp>locos 

 leiostachya, Temstroemia macrocarpa, Trichospermum lavanicum, Garcinia 

 cornea, Orania Nicobarica in abundance, Ficus Indica, F. chrysocarpa, and F. 

 retusa, Gonystylus Miquelianus, Sapindus montanus, Terminalia sp. near 



