TO LOWER SI AM. 39 



and crossed the rice fields in the direction of the main ridge of 

 hills for about three miles. The rice field weeds were not 

 nearly so perished as they were at Alor Sta and we were 

 able to get many small and interesting plants, Geissaspis 

 a curious little kind of vetch, with yellow flowers, peeping 

 out from large shield well, like bracts was in flower, and so 

 were several other of these little vetch-like plants. We first 

 after crossing the fields came to a limestone hill surrounded 

 by very dense vegetation, but this promised little, so we pushed 

 on and came to a sandy heath ; a dry stream bed floored with 

 rounded sandstone pebbles and gravel as big as shot, formed 

 an excellent path. This heath country covered with bushes 

 and: small trees proved a most delightful botanizing ground, 

 producing many beautiful and interesting plants. Conspicuous 

 were two kinds of slender twiggy shrublets ( Holarrhena ) 2 or 3 

 feet tall with a few narrow leaves towards the ends of the erect 

 twigs and beautiful pure white flowers one and a half or 

 two inches across, resembling those of the white variety of 

 Virica rosea. They bore long pods full of narrow seed with 

 long buff colored plumes. We found these plants and a 

 third kind later, all over the sandy heath districts of Perlis 

 and Setul, and brought home living plants for cultivation, as 

 they are most attractive. 



On crossing a piece of turfy land near a stream we saw 

 four spur-winged plovers < Lobivanellus) , running about and 

 taking short flights like lapwings. Passing some abandoned 

 Campong land we came to a flat piece of forest, somewhat 

 damp which was the pass (Ginting). The track led between 

 the main range and a secondary ridge of limestone hills. 

 This track was sandy and gravelly with the shotlike sand- 

 stone gravel, and boulders of sandstone. There has obviously 

 been a sandstone riclge between the two lin estone ridges 

 which has been denuded away. 



After passing through this wood, which produced many 

 additions to the collecting book, we came out by a native 

 house in a small coconut plantation and refreshed our- 

 selves with coconuts. On a tree near by grew the beauti- 



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



