3 
12. The rainfall for the year was slightly above the average, but was 
fairly typical of this seasonless climate. July and November were unusually 
wet. Although the two stations are only about a quarter of a mile apart, the 
daily readings show some variation, as storms in Singapore are often ex¬ 
ceedingly local. Three graphs from the hygrograph are figured in Plate L 
During days of heavy rain when the sky is continuously overcast, humidity 
remains at saturation point, while in fine sunny weather humidity gradually 
drops to 60-70 per cent at mid-day and gradually rises during the afternoon 
to over 90 per cent during the night. 
13. The total monthly and annual rainfall at the Gardens from 1914, 
when the first records were begun, until 1956 are given in Appendix IV, 
as well as the average for this period. Many of these figures have not been 
published previously and those for 1942-6 are of particular interest as they 
are the only records now available for Singapore during the Japanese inter¬ 
regnum. 
IV. BOTANICAL WORK AND HERBARIUM 
(i) COLLECTING 
14. With the Keeper of the Herbarium away for seven and a half months 
on vacation leave and being fully occupied for the rest of the year on his 
study of Malayan Myristicacese, collecting by members of the staff was con¬ 
fined largely to the Director and Assistant Director. Besides local collecting 
on day trips, Mr. Burkill collected in the following areas:—Pulau Satumu, 
Biola and Senang, 30th March-2nd April and 3rd-7th August (186 numbers); 
Horsburgh Light, South China Sea, 27th-28th June (27 numbers); Pulau 
Pisang, Southern end of Malacca Straits, 6th-7th July (31 numbers); Port 
Dickson, Negri Sembilan, 26th August and 11th—15th September (66 num¬ 
bers); on local leave at Cameron Highlands, Pahang, 27th August-10th 
September (152 numbers); Pulau Angsa, Central Malacca Straits, 18th-22nd 
November (78 numbers); Sungei Buloh, Selangor, 23rd~26th November (103 
numbers). On many of these excursions Mr. Burkill collected marine algae 
as well as land plants. His visit to the Cameron Highlands included the ascent 
of Gunong Batu Brinchang, 6,666 feet, now made accessible by a road to the 
radio station at the summit, where European Gorse (Ulex europceus) is now 
naturalised. Also here was found Polygonum paniculatum , a new record for 
Malaya. In all Mr. Burkill collected 733 numbers, of which 354 were algae. 
15. The Director made small collections at Mersing and Gunong Pulai in 
Johore and at Fraser’s Hill in Pahang, while Mr. Sinclair also made a small 
collection from Kuantan, Temerloh, Fraser’s Hill and Malacca from 19th- 
22nd October. 
16. Mr. Puresglove visited Sarawak for the period 15th May-13th June. 
The first week was spent making a preliminary investigation of the flora of 
the newly-established Bako National Park at the mouth of the Sarawak River, 
where there is extensive heath woodland on the padang, as well as lowland 
forest on karenga sands. On the very acid, wet, shallow podsolised sands of 
the padang, overlying the sandstone rock the heath-like shrubs and small 
trees of Styphelia malayana, Bceckia frutescens, Ploiarium alternifolium and 
Dacrydium beccarii were encrusted with epiphytic myrmecophilous plants of 
Hydnophytum formicarium, Myrmecodia tuberosa, Pachycentria glauca and 
Dischidia rafflesiana, A small sundew, Drosera spathulata, a new record for 
Sarawak, was abundant on the peaty soils by the tea-coloured streams, as 
were Utricularia spp. The sundew which is normally confined to open moun¬ 
tain heaths, was growing at 300 feet above sea level. An attractive orchid. 
