A DAY AT CHRISTMAS ISLAND. 127 



chids of the Indian Archipelago" distinguishes the African, 

 Assamese and Malayan plants as three distinct plants, but the 

 distinguishing characters appear to me too slight, especially as 

 the plant is evidently a very variable one. I recently found 

 specimens in Pulau Ubin near Singapore which were quite 

 indistinguishable from some of the African forms. 



Ferns are very abundant. Mr. LlSTER collected fifteen 

 species, two of which, viz., an Asplenium and an Acrostic/nun 

 were new to science. The ground beneath the bigger trees 

 in the forest produced many shrubs and small plants, among 

 which were Anisomeles ovata, a large straggling herb with 

 purple flowers like a large dead nettle ; and another horehound- 

 like Labiate with white flowers, a shrubby species of 

 AchyrantlieSy Ehretia buxifolia, Laportea crenulata, Gaud., a 

 tree nettle with stinging petioles, clumps of Pandani, Oplis- 

 menus compositus, Fleurya cesiuans, and other plants. A 

 Randia, perhaps of an undescribed species, formed coffee- 

 like bushes with small white flowers and orange berries. It 

 is evidently allied to R. densiflora which is also stated to 

 occur here, but entirely different from that species in its smal- 

 ler size of parts and habit. Ochrosia Ackeringoe, Miq., is a 

 small Apocynaceous tree with white flowers and twin yellow 

 fruits. In more open places near the shore were a tall Mal- 

 low (Abufilon sp.), with fairly large buff flowers, one of the 

 common tree vines [Leea sambuci?ia, L.) resembling an elder 

 bush, and a scrambling brvony with small flowers {Zehneria 

 mucronata, Miq.) and on the sandy spots by the shore were 

 the common Waroo [Hibiscus tiliaceus), the goat's foot con- 

 volvulus [Ipomea pes-caprce), Scoevola Koeuigii, L.,>nd Is- 

 choemum foliosum Hack var. leiophyllum. This grass was 

 identified for me by Professor Hackel, who says, that this is 

 a new variety differing from the type only in the glabrous 

 leaves. This type is only known from Xew Caledonia. 



The native palm [Arenga Listeria Becc. ) is plenti- 

 ful, especially on the lower ground near the sea. It is 

 a beautiful species about twenty feet in height with a stout 

 green stem about four inches through, smooth except for the 

 rings. The leaves are large, pinnate, light green above and 

 glaucous beneath. The fruits resemble coffee-berries and are 



