350 SOOLOO. 



return, and insisted on their accepting a basket of potatoes. Some 

 of the houses contained several families, and many of them had 

 no other means of entrance than a notched post stuck up to the 

 door. 



The forests of Mindanao contain a great variety of trees, some of 

 which are of large size, rising to the height of one hundred and one 

 hundred and fifty feet. Some of their trunks are shaped like but- 

 tresses, similar to those before spoken of at Manilla, from which they 

 obtain broad slabs for the tops of tables. The trunks were observed 

 to shoot up remarkably straight. Our botanical gentlemen, though 

 pleased with the excursion, were disappointed at not being able to 

 procure specimens from the lofty trees ; and the day was less pro- 

 ductive in this respect than they had anticipated. Large woody 

 vines were common, which enveloped the trunks of trees in their 

 folds, and ascending to their tops, prevented the collection of the 

 most desirable specimens. 



The paths leading to the interior were narrow and much obstructed: 

 one fine stream was crossed. Many buffaloes were observed wal- 

 lowing in the mire, and the woods swarmed with monkeys and 

 numbers of birds, among them the horn-bills : these kept up a con- 

 tinued chatter, and made a variety of loud noises. The forests here 

 are entirely different from any we had seen elsewhere; and the stories 

 of their being the abode of large boas and poisonous snakes, make 

 the effect still greater on those who visit them for the first time. 

 Our parties, however, saw nothing of these reptiles, nor any thing to 

 warrant a belief that such exist. Yet the officer at the fort related 

 to me many snake stories that seemed to have some foundation ; and 

 by inquiries made elsewhere, I learned that they were at least war- 

 ranted by some facts, though probably not to the extent that he 

 represented. 



Traces of deer and wild hogs were seen, and many birds were ob- 

 tained, as well as land and sea shells. Among the latter was the Mal- 

 leus vulgaris, which is used as food by the natives. The soil on this 

 part of the island is a stiff clay, and the plants it produces are mostly 

 woody ; those of an herbaceous character were scarce, and only a few 

 orchideous epiphytes and ferns were seen. Around the dwellings in 

 the villages were a variety of vegetables and fruits, consisting of 

 sugar-cane, sweet-potato, gourds, pumpkins, peppers, rice, water and 

 musk melons, all fine and of large size. 



