THK EASTERN A "MI PEL AGO* 



c £ ■ ■ - vLinln-in • I ; - r -n i ■ - 1 ^ rjiiny ilnys i-' -nr r hn iii^Oi'iiit I In- \vm\ ;ind hi 

 1879 ■ rainfall of 262 inches was recorded at Padang. 



Flora, — Sumatra being largely alluvial and volcanic, most of the 

 soil is highly fertile and suited fur the growth of nioBt tropica] 

 plants, targe tracts, however; are mill held by rude tribes, who 

 po c W Mtt Utile knowledge of floriculture, depending fur their cxii-tencc 

 sit-iLl l> :Llt.^i'lbi.'l' oil I In: ^pontnlieiHI-. [H-n-lucIs uf rnilure. Th*: soil 



on llie we«t side of I lie i&luml ifl ti stifT t reddish cluy, while extensive 

 districts, especially towards the south, are still under primeval 

 fore-H 



Although nli\i COWMratttt -ly little known, thn nflMXCkhM el Raffles, and 

 1 1 i > i . ■ t. .-•nil;, -.f v..ii lk*.>i-]|in-r^ JLi i ■ E H_ Km: Its, >3imw Unit tlir SuuintriUi 



ilrira iboundi En ™ k™»c variety <iF tropical mid mils-tropical spedes, cm iho 

 vili.'li! nvw allied to liiQiw of Borneo Hum of Juvii or tine mainland. 

 Amount I lie TitcjKi un-fbl are rirp, sa^o, rumjihor, dammar, guttn, Lu-iutoin. 

 dragon's blood, yielded by a spenes of ruttajt, iNimliooa, pepper, inn 

 tobacco. IVt-uliar to lUin region in thn carimik totf/faiti dnwhii, discm-m-d 

 by Sir SLiimI. .i.l IL-illb's, :l far.-ts.uir j.litnl, ,i Ib-vs. i - three i". . 1 in 



diann"t«jr, with very largi* lirit-fc-red fM-UiK but possessing neither slmi nor 

 ItKivpB, nnit sirnj-ly inlhrriiig liy mi wit*' fibres or roots to a species of vine. 

 Other rurioUH plain.-. J.s.ribr.l by J-VrU-. jliv .1 «|.|-i-iivc c{ S;mibU'.--iLs, 

 prodneitig near its llnret.s, lmb> i-nps full rii-li yellow homy, ami the 

 giant Armn (shitorjittryifaill/tj titaninuS, 4-tloriiiiiiis 1illwt> i>Vi-r six li-rt 



round, ami fonrnug " a loud for twelve men." But, notwithstanding the 

 presence nf M<h.tf'.tmtm :iml some other beautiful itowering hhrule, tbe 

 fori'Sl vegetation i.i remarkable rather for it* bright green, pink, or senrh't, 

 and autumn-tinied foliage, than for its gay fliu-.il ml. i liiuems. 



Fauna.— The Sinimlnni fauna |Hresent fur mora nmnerotiB point* 

 of contact with those of the Malny Peninsula and Uomto than with 

 the Javanese* Here are represented nil tbe great mammalian forms 

 of tltu muiuhrnl, *urli as the. elephant, rhinoceros and tiger, besides 

 the tapir,, the Siamnng, a large ape, found elsewhere only in Malaya, 

 and the Ifornean orang-utan ; thin la«t confined to the wooded plains 

 opposite Malacca, Of lai^ge domestic animals the most valuable- is 

 tlie buffalo, which a* live stock take* the place of the European ox. 

 There are several varieties of the monkey tribe, and Sumatra also 

 possesses Hourly all the beautiful and n'Tiinrkablt' forms of birdi 

 common to Malacca and Hornco, besides a few species peculiar Ui 

 itself. Very characteristic are the lovely Aligns pheasuiit, which 

 here takes the place of the peacock in Java; the IUto*totyte$ tihird'^ 

 a species of clickun. svitli grwn bill and velvet near! el t-yr-wjiltle ; 

 green and black Unrbet^ \ scarlet Pierida\ and the Buceros. Btitter- 



