28 BOTANICAL EXCURSION TO GUNONG JERAI. 



but nothing was heard or seen of the beast. Kijang were 

 said to be common here, but none put in an appearance. On 

 one occasion I heard in the evening- the cry of a Lotong 

 (Semnopithecvs) but no other animals were seen or heard ex- 

 cept one or two small bats. Birds too were very scarce and 

 mostly small species, as at Mount Ophir. Three fine hawks 

 passed over the camp one afternoon, but kept well out of range. 

 Butterflies and beetles were numerous and among the latter I 

 secured a specimen of Odontolabris gazella a well known Ophir 

 insect. One of the men caught also a death's head moth, but it 

 escaped his grasp. The flora round the camp bore some resem- 

 blance to that of Mount Ophir, many of the trees being of the 

 same kinds ; such were the Conifers, Dammara orientalis, Dacry- 

 dium elatum and Podocarpus cvpressinus ; as also Tristania mer- 

 guensis, Boeckia frutescens and Leptospermum amboinense. The 

 wild Aniseed, Illicum Cambodianvm, with rosy or white flowers 

 and star like capsules, resembling those of the true Star anise of 

 Cochin China but quite odorless, was plentiful in the woods, but 

 the most striking shrub was a beautiful white Rhododendron 

 about twelve feet tall which bore bunches of large white flowers 

 with a yellow centre. A plant well worthy of cultivation, but 

 unfortunately neither seeds nor young plants could be obtained. 

 Among the smaller plants a charming little sonerila with 

 mauve rarely white flowers, and leaves of every shade of green 

 olive and purple frequently spotted or marbled with white was 

 very abundant. Botanically it was especially interesting from 

 its possessing a tuberous root. Burmannia disticha was un- 

 usually abundant and fine, both in size and color. One plant was 

 gathered with twenty-six flowers in a head, and growing in 

 masses as it does here its beautiful blue flowers reminded one of 

 the blue hyacinths of the English woods. Another pretty blue 

 flowered plant was a tall grassy leaved Aneilema (A. giganteum Br.) 

 which opened its azure flowers only at noon. It was hitherto 

 unknown from the peninsula, though of very wide distribution, 

 occurring in Africa, India, Ceylon, the Malay islands, China and 

 Australia.- A curious little sedge, Scleria Neesii var borneensis, 

 was another important addition to our flora, as its distribution is 

 confined to Ceylon and Borneo. Twining in the grasses close to 

 the stream; in damp spots was a pretty Utricularia with large 



