76 VOYAGE FROM INDIA TO SIAM AND MALACCA. 



The monkeys were specially delighted with the oysters, 

 which they knew how to open very dexterously ; on my arrival 

 the whole society was frightened and fled away in all directions. 

 Meanwhile I went on to botanize and found a great number of 

 parasitic plants, more than I have ever seen together in so small 

 a space. There were many kinds of Ejmlendra, among them 

 one species which I have never seen before. They climbed with 

 their roots to the very tops of the trees. The leaves came out 

 of a compressed somewhat tessellate wrinkly green shiny bulb. 

 The flower stalk grew out near the base on the edge of the bulb 

 and this stalk as well as the outer pericarp were covered with 

 a brown sort of wool. For the detailed description see : Lit. B. 

 between pagina 52 and 53. Liter. J. Epidendrum retusum had 

 fruits here. I also found here frequently another kind of Epi- 

 dendrum, with egg-shaped wrinkly bulbs ; it had no blossoms. 



I also saw another plant, which I thought to be an Epideii- 

 drum; it was a climbing plant with white jointed thread-like 

 stalks, which had opposite leaves without stalks; they were 

 oblong, eggshaped, pointed, and had bloodred serrated cross- 

 stripes ; the rest was dark green. They did not have any milk 

 when I broke them, and I looked in vain for blossoms. 



Among the ferns I found a very large Oteris, with linear 

 leaves, Ihree to four feet long, growing together in large bundles ; 

 their pericarp seemed to grow almost on the edge of the leaves. 

 I have seen this kind often before, but never so large and in such 

 numbers together. 



Among these I found three specimens of Acrostichun cor- 

 nutum. Acrostich: heterophyUum, Polypodium lanceolatum, pilosel- 

 loides, comosum, QuercifoHuni, Asplenium Chinense, Caudatum, 

 philippense, Osmunda Scandens, Ophioglossuni pendulum, Blechnuiu 

 Orientale, Blechnum Pteroides, aspleinum nidus, Salicifolium and 

 many more were here in great number. The creeping Bromelia 

 ahorescens Y. Zeylon, the common kind, the kind growing as high 

 as a tree, the long broad prickly kind, from which the Indians 

 make their best mats with which they cover their goods, and a 

 kind of palm, grew here abundantly, but only the common kind 

 had a male raceme and a large amount of fruits. The rain- 

 showers continued and the wind grew more and more violent. 

 I had to make a good German mile against the wind and the 

 current with my small boat, therefore, I started on my way back. 



