275 
bearing well, there are the ordinary tropical vegetables ; the only one that 
is noticeable from our present point of view is the bird’s-eye chillie 
{Capsicum minimum) which here, as in the Andamans and in Great 
Coco Island, has spread itself everywhere about the clearing and is even 
penetrating into the adjacent jungle. In front of the telegraph-office 
there are two rows of very weather-beaten Coco-nut trees of which only 
14 are now left; probably if planted or sown along the edge of the beach 
they would have done much better; there is not at present, it may be 
remarked, a single Coco-nut tree in this situation anywhere round the 
island. 
The commonest tree throughout the island is Bombax malabaricum, 
and next to it in point of numbers is Albizzia procera; towards the 
western end of the central table-land the latter is the more plentiful 
species, those trees at the extreme edge being stunted and weather-worn. 
Among the other trees and shrubs observed were Chailletia gelonioides 
(very abundant on the south side of the island,) Gonnarus gibbosus, 
Ellipanthus sterculiaefolius, Gnestis ramijlora (also very abundant on the 
southern slope of the island,) Lagersiroemia Flos-Beginae (a common 
tree on the Eastern part of the island,) Ixora rugulosa, Pavetta indica, 
Psychotria adenopliylla, Ehretia laevis, Heterophragma adenophyllum (not 
uncommon,) Bridelia tomentosa and Flueggia microcarp a (both frequent,) 
Ficus hispida (not frequent,) Macaranga Tanarius (the only Macaranga 
present and common on the south side of the island.) A common and 
very striking undershrub is Leea parallela; in the opener ground on 
the western weather-beaten side Osbechia cliinensis, Vernonia cinerea and 
Anisomeles ovata are common herbs ; along the water course leading to 
the north side of the island Adiantum lunulatum occurs, not frequently, 
however, and it does not appear to be anywhere else on the island; 
the only other ferns met with were the water-fern Oeratopteris, and a 
climbing species, Lygodium flexuosum. Quite as striking as the absence 
of ferns is the absence of any species of Selaginella ; still more striking, 
perhaps, considering the proximity of the island to Burma, is the 
absence of Bamboos. 
y^n the interior the climbers met with were Gyclea peltata (frequent,) 
Abrus precatorius fexceedingly common,) MucjmiLin onosp erma, fEntada 
scandens, Luffa cegyptiaca (only on the western side and, like the Cap- 
paris and like Ipomoea digitata, spreading over the sea-face as well as 
common in the interior jungle.) Willughbeia edalis (only met with 
once,) Ichnocarpus frutescens and Dreyeu volubilis (both common,) Erycibe 
paniculata (spreading over adjacent species, but hardly a climber,) 
Thunbergia laurifolia very common, as are Dioscorea glabra and Smilax 
macrophylla; a Calamus {G. tigritms Kurz ?) forms a great part of the 
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