

TO LOWER SIAM. 37 



stalks of nipa and coconut palms, the hard outer coat of which 

 split up into laths did very well, though they were not as 

 good as bamboo. The laths were tied together with twine and 

 when that failed some jungle string had to be sought. Eattan 

 split is excellent but often unprocurable and then one has to 

 fall back on the inner bast of Mahangs (macaranga) or 

 Bauhinia (Dadaub) or Gnetum, Artocarpus or the like. It is 

 very seldom that one has to go far in the forests for jungle 

 string. My boy was skilful at making the presses and would 

 often make many while we, I and the plant collector, were out in 

 the woods. The paper we use is Chinese bamboo paper pro- 

 curable at most of the village shops in the country. Only a few 

 sheets are put in each press which is put out in the sun and 

 taken in on the approach of rain. Most of the plants dry thus in 

 a few days and a week suffices for anything but the very 

 succulent plants such as aroids or orchids. We had, often 

 over sixty presses out drying during this trip and as it was 

 very hot the plants dried well and fast. We had indeed, 

 showers of rain at Perlis every evening, but seldom during the 

 day. The plants when dry were made up into bundles and 

 wrapped in American cloth for travelling, so as to take no 

 injury from damp. 



(28th). Taking a Malay man who had no particular work 

 to do, as a guide, Mat and I and he went across the river to 

 ascend Bukit Lagi. We managed to find a way to climb up over 

 the limestone rocks and after much labour got to the top of 

 the ridge. The ridge is about 900 feet high, and though there 

 were many steep precipitous bits, we got up with the aid of lianes 

 without much difficulty. The top we got to was an extremely 

 narrow ridge about two feet wide, the further side being abso- 

 lutely vertical, and covered with vegetation to the top. Here 

 were Cycas siauiensis, Euphorbia antiquorum, a Hoya with 

 pinkish white flowers, a small leaved Bauhinia probably 

 micrantha out of flower, and a great deal of a species of 

 Drynaria. The perished remains of a Boca also were seen. 

 It was impossible to progress along the ridge, but there was a 

 rise just beyond which was accessible but so densely covered 



R: A. Soc, No. 59, I9H. 



