66 
has been written, nor is it even now possible to do so, for the most. 
interesting halt of the island, the mountainous portion, has not been 
botanized over, except in a meagre way, by native collectors e my own 
in the southern part, and by one or two Europeans in the rth, who: 
have made short excursions from Tamsui. The chief ede tollectoiil 
Wilford and Oldham, seemed to bave touched the coast only at a few 
points. Swinhoe, who did so much for the fauna, collected a few plants. 
Tamsui has been visited by Mr. Ford, of Hong Kong, and Mr. Hancock 
collected most of the ferns in that neighbourhood, dene paid little attention 
P 
ng take w e 
was available, in the herbarium of the British Museum. . Some three 
or four years ago Mr. Playfair, while acting as consul at Tainan, made 
an admirable collection of about 400 species, chiefly from the immediate 
neighbourhood of Takow, with a few species from Anping and 
Taiwanfoo. His pine includes, perhaps, a decade of new species 
and à a considerable number of plants hitherto only recorded from the 
cee and from the Tndo-Malayn region, 
* * * 
E 1893 and 1894 I € have made large collections at 
Takow, both on Apes Hill and on the plain, and increased Mr. Playfair's. 
400 ow species to over 600. Also, foilowing a practice that was a 
o bring me specimens of everything they see in fruit or 
fiber, and in this way I have obtained a large quantity of material 
from two districts, one the neighbourhood of Bankimsing, a village 
situated at the base of the lofty Kalee Mountain, 30 miles east of 
Takow, the other from South Cape and the surrounding mountains 
where, ‘under the guidance of M. Schmiiser, one of the ‘lightkeepers, 
the savage chief “ Capting " made a splendid collection. 
Both these west I visited, but was only able to spend a day or. 
two at each. I do not think that anything has been collected by us ata 
height of over 3000 yon so that the higher a and valleys are 
as yet virgin soil, and richly tempting to the explorer. Duplicates to 
culture is interesting. I notice he refers to small -— of Caladium, 
by which I dare say he means “taro,” a species of Colocasia. me 
even to the common “ arrowhead " geena ia). Cala a dis- 
tinetly American genus, and there is no enc that any mens of it is- 
cultivated in China, much less that eurs in i ta 
e which I may.now set right.. The indigo of Formosa is produced 
by the coma on papilionaceous shrubs, Tachoafeein tinctoria and Z, Anil, | 
much cultivated in India and on the mainland of o where the latter 
