REPORT ON THE GARDENS AND FORESTS DEPARTMENT, 
STRAITS SETTLEMENTS. 
BOTANIC GARDENS, SINGAPORE. 
Staff. 
1. In the early part of the year, the Mandor, Aniff, resigned his appointment, 
and T. C. PEREIRA replaced him. The coolies worked well throughout the year, bat 
there was a good deal of sickness, mostly of a mild type, among them. There were 
two or three cas^s of injury from poisonous trees or fruits, the dangerous plants being 
Melanorrhcea, Hippomane Mancinella (the Manchineel), and Kentia MacArthurtt ; 
and one man was much hurt by a deer which attacked him while feeding it. 
Visitors . 
2. The number of visitors to the Gardens was as large as usual, and included 
many European botanists of note, on their way to Java to make botanical researches, 
several of whom expressed regret that there was no laboratory -accommodation in the 
Botanic Gardens, as, in many respects, Singapore was better suited for the carrying on 
of research than Java. 
The Regimental Band performed once or twice a month on Friday afternoons m 
the Gardens, and attracted many visitors. 
A viaries. 
3. The zoological collection proved as attractive as in former years, and several 
interesting animals and birds were added to it. Among these were: — A mi as (pur- 
chased) ; six common monkeys (presented by Mr. Machado) ; a golden cat ( Felts 
Temminckii, presented by Mr. MOUSLEY) ; a black bear (female, purchased) ; an 
Australian dingo (presented by Captain Pitts) ; a black buck (presented by the 2nd 
Battalion of the Lincolnshire Regiment) ; one rusa (female, Cervus equinus ) ; one 
American deer (presented by Captain Davies): two bamboo rats {Rhizomvs, pre- 
sented by Mr. Goodhart) ; two Raffles’ squirrels (purchased) ; two common squirrels 
(caught) ; one emu (presented by Captain TalbOYS) ; one purple coot (presented by 
Mr. Machado ) ; two Malacca swamp tortoises ( Cestudo Amboinensis, captured) ; one 
monitor [Hydrosaurus salvator, presented). Two hamadryads {O phiophagns elaps) 
and several other snakes were captured in the Gardens. 
A common monkey was bo*rn in the aviary on the 27th of March. The teal on 
the lake also hatched out a brood of ten ducklings, which were unfortunately all 
destroyed by hawks or eagles. 
New and Rare Plants . 
The following plants, seldom or never before flowered in Singapore, flowered 
this year: — Brassia candata ; Aspasia variegata ; Cattleya Schroderce ; C. Bownn- 
giana ; Oncidium cebolleta ; O. roraimense ; O. lundum ; Mormodes pardmum ; 
.* Lycaste aromatica major; Miltonia spectabihs ; Laelia harpophvlla ; Stanknpea 
grandiflora ; S. eburnea ; Catasetum tridentatvm (from South America and the 
West Indies) ; Dendrobium sanguinolentum and var. cerinum (from Kedah Peak ) ; 
O . antennatum (New Guinea);./?. hymenop*erum (Kedah Peak); Cymhidium 
lancifolium (Malacca); Sarcanthus castaneus (Singapore); Vanda, Miss. Joaquim 
( a hybrid between V. teres and V. Hookeriana) ; Cleisostoma crassum (Borneo); 
Saccolabivm calceolare ( Borneo ); Rhododendron Brookei ( Borneo ); Amstolochta 
gigas Sturtevanti (Trinidad); Didymocarpvs cifrinus (Kedah Peak); Sonerila, 
a new species with tuberous rhizomes ( Kedah Peak ); and another large-branched 
species from I egeh, which was presented by Mr. A. MACHADO, together with a very 
fine flame-coloured Didymocarpvs, a new genus of Commehnaceoe , near Pnllia, and 
Codonacanthus sp., all from the same locality; Trevesia ei?iinehs (Philippines); 
Entada folystachya ; Hedychium longicornutum (Malacca); Clerodendron mma- 
kassce ( Celebes ). 
\\f Among the ornamental foliage plants and ferns, the most remarkable species 
received were: — Asplenium scandens (Borneo, presented by Bishop Hose) ; A. sp. 
( Perak ) ; Leca?iopieris carnosa, Bl. (Malacca); Adiantum, nsp. (Singapore); 
Ne^ ahyllvm tenuifiorum ( Kedah ) ; Cyrtandra, sp. ( Borneo, presented by Mr. 
Down, 
