VOYAGE FROM IXDIA TO SIAM AND MALACCA, 59 



six feet long-. They kindle a bright fire underneath this stand, 

 which has the effect of both drying and smoking the Holothuria. 

 I saw that they had gathered some fruits of the Lycas, which 

 are oval in shape. They were being cut into thin cross slices 

 and put for some time over the fire to be dried. Thev told me 

 that this fruit is more nutritious than rice in this dried condition, 

 but when eaten fresh it is unwholesome. 



After this I went to the wood and found fiist of all a dry 

 male blossom, afterwards a very young cone with female blos- 

 soms, and at last a beautiful perfect male inflorescence, which 

 had a completely oval cone about one foot long. This furnished 

 me with an opportunity to make some minute observations 

 concerning the character in the second Jlontissa of Mr. von 

 Linne. On the mountain ridges of this island 1 found some high 

 trees of the Lagerostroeinia. as thick round as a man. The bark 

 was smooth and had slightly inducted big irregular scars, and 

 resembled the bark of the Gujava though the colour was lighter. 

 A new species of Tschcpnium grew among Sccpvola and Amaryllis 

 Teylanica and Sophora Tomentosa. Xear the shore of this island 

 in a sandy place grew some Casuarin trees, which I have already 

 described before now. 



4 — I went again to another island, and found some new 

 kinds of plants, specially a tree the blossoms of which resemble 

 those of a Contorfa, specially those of a Cerium. The blossoms, 

 when they had fallen off were also purply-red, like those of the 

 Xereis, but they had ten anthers ; five of them stood inside and 

 were connate in pyramid shape a little before the pointed ends ; 

 the others stood stood erect at the side and seemed nearly all 

 unfertile. There was no fruit upon the tree; on account of the 

 wet weather most of the blossoms fell down without forming 

 any fruits. I also found a new kind of Capparis with oblong 

 leaves and prickly stalks ; the large Solomon's ants often covered 

 the whole fruits, and whoever touched one of the fruits could be 

 sure to be covered with hundreds of these biting insects. I 

 came to a place where shortly before a rhinoceros had come on 

 shore. My companions advised me to go back, as the animal 

 has the habit of often returning to the sea to refresh itself in the 

 water from the burning heat of the sun. 



In the afternoon 1 went to another island, and found several 

 Er-^'i"'"^--'' in bloom: some of the blossoms I took with me to 



