ON THE DISPERSAL OF SEEDS BY MAMMALS. I^ 



mass of creepers and thick foliage which often mats the tops 

 of the highest trees together, and causing them to fall and roll 

 to some distance. 



The Willughbeias are lofty climbers in the jungles. They 

 have large dull green or yellowish inconspicuous fruits, pear- 

 shaped or globose. The seeds are soft and enclosed in a sweet 

 and eatable flesh, of which the monkeys are very fond. There 

 are a number of seeds in a single fruit, and if, as sometimes 

 happens, the fruit falls whole on the ground the seeds all 

 germinate in the fruit, so that ox\^ finds a small cluster of 

 plants where a fruit has fallen and decayed. After these have 

 •grown a few inches, all or nearly all perish from overcrowding, 

 and in localities where monkeys are scarce I have seen the 

 ground covered in places with seedlings, of which in a few 

 weeks none are left. If, however, a flock of monkeys visits the 

 locality when the plant is in fruit, all the best fruits are speedily 

 devoured. Monkeys like other mammals are very greedy eaters, 

 and when there is plenty of fruit on a Willughbeia, they do not 

 entirely finish each fruit, but tear it to bits and scatter the 

 seeds in different directions, only eating bits of it. The seeds 

 of the Wil/ug/ibeta aYQ soh and comparatively tasteless, or if 

 they have a flavour it is bitter and unpleasant, but a great many 

 do get bitten up and destroyed by the monkeys, even if a 

 a considerable number are detached and scattered about, 

 unharmed. 



It has been pointed out to me that Wilhighbeia seed to be 

 satisfactorily planted must be thrown at the base of or near a 

 big tree so that the creeper may have a support to climb on, 

 and this is brought about in the following way. A monkey 

 seizes a fine fruit to eat, the others of the flock immediately 

 rush at him to take it away, he scrambles into the nearest big 

 tree and getting into the fork or behind a big branch devours 

 it with hurried bites for fear of being robbed, throwing the 

 seeds at the foot of the tree up which the young plant can 

 eventually climb. 



Nearly all the Willughbeias and the plants of the allied 

 genera Melodiiius and Leuconotis axe climbers in thick jungle, 

 and in this case the fruits are, as above said, green, or at most 



