chap. xii. TREE FERNS AND SINGULAR BAMBOOS. 321 
nitude, apparently of hard wood and slow growth, excepting 
some of the dombeyas, which were magnificent trees. I 
jioticed but few orchids, or parasitical plants of any kind; 
but creepers were abundant. Amongst them, some singu¬ 
larly curious bamboos. Of one kind the cane was almost as 
small as a quill, with a circle of fine small branches or leaves 
around every joint, the joints being not more than five or six 
inches apart. The long slender canes were often nine or ten 
feet long, hanging pendant from the branches of the trees, 
or stretching in graceful curves from tree to tree along the 
sides of the road. I saw numbers of a species of medinilla, 
and a flower very much like a Lojphosjpermum scandens, but 
growing on a shrubby plant. There were also some pretty 
purple flowered orchises, and a few lycopodiums; but it was 
the very Eden of ferns. 
Tree ferns here exhibit great variety of form and foliage, 
and some of these truly magnificent plants were visible in 
every part of the forest; while, amongst the dwarf species, 
new ferns were continually presenting themselves. I only 
obtained a few fronds of some that were nearest to the path ; 
and it was sometimes quite tantalising to see, perhaps half 
way down the opposite side of a steep clay-formed ravine, a 
group of ferns exceedingly beautiful, and apparently new, 
hut quite beyond present reach. On such occasions, I found 
myself involuntarily exclaiming, “ Oh you beauties! I must 
have you! ” But I was seldom able to do more than point 
them out to a young chief who might be walking by my side, 
and request him to mark well the spot, that we might re¬ 
member it on our return. 
Early the next morning we took our departure from the 
station of Alamazaotra, and, ascending the opposite bank of 
the river, again entered the forest, and pursued our way 
through the same sort of wood for about an hour, when we 
emerged into an open grassy country, with a comparatively 
Y 
