24 BOTANICAL EXCURSION TO GUNONG JERAI. 



collected a few interesting- plants, among- which were Atalantia 

 monophylla, forming- a bushy tree loaded with its small green 

 orang-es, Cor.dia Sebestena, the iron wood tree of Cocos island, 

 with its showy orange flowers, a pretty Hoya with white sweet- 

 scented blossoms, and creeping over the sandy banks a pretty 

 Ruellia with fairly large violet flowers, R. prostrata, not pre- 

 viously recorded from the Malay Peninsula nor have I ever met 

 with it since. Orchids were not wanting on the trees by the 

 beach. Aerides odoratum seemed common and was in bud, and 

 some line plants were secured. It seems to have a liking for 

 the sea shore as I have several times found it abundantly on the 

 smaller islets in the Straits in similar localities. Eria bractescens, 

 Cirrhophetalum Medusae, the common Cymbidium (C. aloifolium) 

 and the pigeon orchid Dendrobium crumenatum were also found 

 but were not in flower. The maiden hair fern, Adiantum Capil- 

 lus-veneris, also grew on the rocks by the sea. 



During the night a large turtle landed on the beach near 

 the village and laid about forty eggs in the sand which were 

 easily found next morning by the villagers, as the animal had 

 left a large wide track like that made by pushing down a boat 

 through the sand from its nest to the sea. 



Next morning being quite fine we hastened across the Yan. 

 The sea on this coast is very shallow and even small steam 

 launches have to anchor a mile away at least. The mouth of the 

 river is exactly opposite Pulau Song-song. A plantation of 

 coconut palms runs along the coast south of the river, termin- 

 ating near its mouth, and thus forms a good land mark. The 

 river being tidal is fringed with the common tidal swamp vege- 

 tation, the commonest tree being Avtcenma. The wild date 

 palm, Phoenix paludosa is abundant, Pluchea indica, Wedelia bifiora 

 and the common A canthus (A. ebracteatus Vahl) are also conspicuous. 

 This latter plant has a great reputation in Penang as a medicine 

 for boils. The seeds are roasted, pulverised and mixed with 

 water, and the liquid drunk. The natives state that the patient 

 will be freed from boils for as many years as there are pounded 

 seeds in the draught. This acanthus known here as Jeruju, has 

 the flowers light blue or white, usually the latter in the south of 

 the peninsula and blue in the north and Java, but blue flowers 

 occur in some parts of Singapore. The large and brilliant- 



