130 A DAY AT CHRISTMAS ISLAND. 



The greater part of the plants fall under one of the two 

 heads, those whose seeds or fruits are carried about unharmed 

 by sea currents, and those which having edible fruits are dis- 

 persed by birds. These in fact are the two methods by which 

 most of the oceanic islands are populated. To the first class 

 belong Hibiscus t Hi ace us, I no carp us edulis, Terminalia Ca- 

 fappa, Barringtoriia racemosa, Peniphis acidu/a, Oc/irosia, 

 Ackeringce, Cordia subcordafa, Tournefortia argentea, Iponiea 

 pes capra?, Boerliaavia repanda, Hernandia ovigera, Pauda- 

 nus, sp., Fimbristylis cymosa, and probably also Erytkrina, 

 Abutilon, Ehretia bnxifolia and Tectona. Dendrohium cru- 

 menatum and the other orchids may have been derived from 

 plants drifted ashore on fallen trees. 



As fruit-eating birds and bats are very numerous it is not 

 to be wondered at that there are many species with edible 

 fruits, which have been brought to the island by them. To 

 this class belong Vitis, Leea, Zelineria, Heptapleurum, Ran- 

 dia, Psychotria, Ardisia, Solanum, Callicarpa, Deeringia, 

 Eicus, Didymosperma and probably also Eugenia, Sideroxy- 

 iou, Euphorbia, and Cleidion. The fruits of Didymosperma 

 are as stated above very irritating but this is no bar to their 

 being devoured by birds. The fruits of Kentia Macarthun, 

 a New Guinea palm, are nearly as irritating, but they arr 

 greedily eaten by the blue starlings in the Botanic Gardens, 

 at Singapore and I found, in Fernando de Noronha. a species 

 of Sapium which was so poisonous that the fruit falling on a 

 horse would blister the skin, yet it was often eaten by small 

 birds. 



A few species have been introduced accidentally by man 

 into Christmas Island, and this class will doubtless increase 

 largely. Nearly all of these occur close to the Settlements. 

 They include Hibiscus Abe/mosckus, Spiiaui/ies, Datura, Ac- 

 hyranthes aspera, Eleusine, Digiiaria and perhaps AbutHon 

 indicum. Such plants as Pisonia exceisa with its sticky fruits, 

 Achyranthes sp. and Oplismenus may have been borne to the 

 island by birds, as their fruits are more or less adhesive. 



It might be imagined that winged or plumed seeds would 

 be easilv carried to distant islands and consequently form an 

 important element in the flora. This is not so. In the majo- 



