54 AN ACCOUNT OF A BOTANICAL EXPEDITION 



climbing to get along the edge. After a long walk we came to a 

 part of the cliffs through a hole in which I could see a gleam 

 of sunlight on vegetation, and creeping through the tunnel — an 

 old stream -bed — we found ourselves in a more or less circular 

 space surrounded* by high cliffs. At one end a great deal of 

 the rock had fallen and the whole place was full of trees and 

 other plants. Some of the rocks were covered thickly with 

 the beautiful ground orchid Haemaria discolor making large 

 red patches, I never saw any orchid of this group growing in 

 such dense masses. Amomum testaceum a plant I had only 

 previously met with at the Batu Caves in Selangor grew 

 here. Amorphophallus carnea, Pellionia javanica and many 

 other plants were added to the already nearly full collecting 

 book, and bag. Mat climbed up by the fallen rocks and 

 got to the top of the rock, and said that descent on the 

 further side was possible though difficult and as we were 

 heavily loaded I thought it unadvisable to try this short 

 cut, so we returned by way of the tunnel, and continued 

 along the side of the cliffs. There is another circular walled 

 place of the same style in this hill near a quarry, contain- 

 ing the same style of forest flora. I imagine they are formed by 

 streams which gradually cutting away the base of the cliff 

 came a fall of the upper part. Similar but loftier shafts occur in 

 the Batu Caves in Selangor. We had some difficulty in making 

 our way loaded as we were, through a block of the erect 

 thorny rattan, where we saw one of the common . green 

 pignosed snakes, Dryophis prasinus, and after crossing a 

 stream got out into open country and reached the main road, 

 having gone almost completely round the rock, a hard and 

 stiff tramp. 



Next day we went on the heath to collect some plants for 

 cultivation and came across a herd of wild pigs rooting in the 

 mud near the river. In the afternoon we packed up for leaving 

 for Penang that nipht. The boat was to start at ten o'clock, 

 but on arriving we found it would not start till 2 a.m.' 'It 'was 

 not a comfortable boat, containing no accommodation" for 

 sleeping, eating or bathing. However I put up my camp bed and 



Jour, Straits Branch 



