1893.] D. Pram — Flora of Narcondam and Barren Island. 45 



Throughout the southern half of the island the coast line has been 

 eaten by the sea into bare cliffs that vary in height from 50 to 800 

 feet. From the appearance these present to any one circumnavigating 

 the island it would seem that these, even at the mouths of the gorges, 

 and even if landing in spite of the heavy swell that usually surges 

 round the island were feasible, must be altogether inaccessible. Much 

 of the northern half of the island is similarly sea-worn, but the nor- 

 thern cliffs are not in many cases very high. The north-west corner of 

 the island is a sharply triangular ness, with a high cliff for its nor- 

 thern, and a sloping hill-side, ending in lower cliffs, for its western 

 seaface. This western slope overlooks a bight half a mile wide, but of 

 only a furlong's recession. This bight, open to the north-west, is divided 

 into two almost equal bays by a small detached islet, between which and 

 the main island stretches a rocky reef. To the south of this islet and 

 reef is a somewhat indifferent anchorage, and landing from a boat is 

 possible on its small shingle beach, behind which a few coco-nut trees 

 grow. This beach is close to the reef and at the mouth of a rather 

 narrow gorge which leads fairly directly to the main peak. 



The cliffs that form the east side of this ness overlook a much finer 

 bight bounded on the east by the oblong spit already described, more 

 than half a mile across, and with a recession almost equalling its width. 

 The head of this bight further recedes into a small inviting-looking 

 bay which, however, begins to shoal* about a hundred yards from the 

 shore, and the strong swell that surges round either cape is broken as it 

 crosses the bay into a heavy surf which renders landing neither pleasant 

 nor safe.f This bay, which may be termed Coco Bay, is bounded by a 

 level stretch of turtle-frequented sand, behind which is the only good 

 example of Pandanus sea-fence on the island ; behind the sea-fence is 

 a fringe of coco-nut trees ; beyond the coco-nut zone, and at the mouth 

 of one of the largest gorges in the island, is a small stretch of level 

 land, due, no doubt, like the shallowness of the bay, to the deposition of 

 detritus from the main hill. In this fiat patch, immediately behind the 

 coco-nuts and to the west side of the stream-bed, is a grove of plantains. 



* Ball : Records of the Geol. Survey of India, vi, 89. 



f Hume : Stray Feathers, ii, 109. The landing mentioned by Ball and described 

 by Hume is the only one on record at this bay. Probably, however, it is not the only 

 one that has been effected. Though the Coco-nuts that line its margin may have been 

 introduced by the sea, this cannot be said of a grove of Plantains that occurs. 

 Landing did not seem possible at the time of the writer's visit, nor was it neces- 

 sary ; the bay, which was visited several times, was reached by cutting a path 

 through the jungle from Anchorage Bay. It is of course possible, though hardly 

 likely, that the individuals who introduced the Plantains also cut such a path. 



