262 
Memoranda of an Excursion: 
noticed them in such numbers at any place away from 
the immediate coast, to the sandy shores of which they 
are generally confined. Their bite is most virulent just 
before and after rain. The natives call them, Namu. 
At tliis village I remained for three days, busily en¬ 
gaged with the natives. On the fourth I again resumed 
my journey. At first, my route lay over high and steep 
hills, clothed with forests to their summits, which having 
gained, I descended to a deep valley, where ran a rapid 
brawling stream of from two to three feet in depth. By 
the banks of this river, among gigantic ferns and un¬ 
derwood, decaying logs and fallen trees, we travelled 
on, every now and then crossing the stream, which we 
certainly did more than fifty times! This was by no 
means pleasant travelling, but there was no alternative. 
On the banks of this river I first obtained specimens of 
a fine arborescent fern, Dichsonia fibrosa^ n. sp. f W. C. 
This fern attains to the height of 18 feet. Its large 
and spreading living fronds measure from 6-9 feet in 
length; these, however, are generally few in number, 
and deciduous. Its caudex is composed of thick layers 
of fibres, resembling, at first sight, the fibrous interior 
of the husk of a cocoa-nut. In this locality, I also 
found a species of Myrtus, a small tree bearing orange- 
coloured juicy berries, growing to the height of 10-15' 
feet. The natives spread their blankets, or mats, under 
these trees, and shaking them, soon procure a quantity 
of fruit, which is very good eating. Each berry gene¬ 
rally contains three reniform hard seeds. The natives 
call it Rohutu. Towards evening, we emerged from the 
dense forests, in which we had for some days been con¬ 
fined, to a large plain covered with fern, the first fern 
we had seen for several days. My natives rejoiced at 
