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forest is being composed by accretion, while at the north end a mangrove 
forest is invading the sea. The west coast of Great Coco is more or less 
rocky and abrupt, for nearly the whole extent of the island. 
No denudation is taking place in Table Island, the shores of which 
rise rather abruptly from the beach in most of its circumference, though 
there is a bay at the north side looking towards Slipper Island that is 
fringed with Pemphis acidida and has a small flat space immediately 
within its Pandanus fence. 
When the beach between the reef and the Pandanus sea-fence 
consists of coral sand it is usual to find outside the jungle proper a belt 
of Ipomoea biloha, at times covered with parasitic Cassytha ; where it is 
composed of shingle Ipomoea biloha may also occur, though it is more 
usual to find its place taken by Ipomoea denticulata. Along with these 
Ipomoeas occur Euphorbia Atoto and, less frequently, Sesuvium Porhdacas- 
trum. Usually just within these occurs the common sea-face jungle- 
fence of Pandanus, Sophora tomentosa, Gcesalpinia Bonducella, Tournefortia 
argentea, Desmodium umbellatum, Premna integrifolia, Glerodendron inerme, 
Goluhrina asiatica, Ganavalia obtusifolia, Vigna lutea, Ouettarda speciosa, 
Allophylus Gobhe, etc., and then, particularly if the beach is a shingle 
one, as trees in the same zone, Ixora hrunnescens, Terminalia Gatappa, very 
common, Stephegyne diversifolia, Thespesia populnea, Hernandia peltata, 
Erythrina indica, Pongamia glabra, Ficus Bumphii, Barringtonia speciosa, 
Gyrocarpus Jacquinii, etc., with a thin line of Gocos nucifera growing up 
slantingly beneath these and sti’etching their crowns seawards as if in 
search of light. Where the beach is sandy the sea-face jungle makes a 
less dense hedge, and within it lies a flat space of sandy soil with a grove 
of Gocos nucifera, stretching back from 10 to 100 yards to where, usually 
on lower and muddy ground tunnelled by Gardisoma and other land- 
crabs, commences a dense jungle that shades off almost insensibly into the 
vegetation of a true mangrove-swamp. The sand beneath the coco-nut 
trees in these groves is covered in Great Coco by a close sward of Thuarea 
sarmentosa, with here and there patches of Ipomoea biloha, clumps of 
Tacca pinnatifida, or large examples of Grinum asiaticum and Gycas Bum~ 
phii, and with patches of Erantheinum here and there beneath these. 
The more rocky portions of the coast have in the sea-face jungle-fence 
described above some other species that do not seem to care for sand or 
shingle, sirch as Hibiscus tiliaceus, Taberncemontana crispa, Desmodium 
polycarpon and Desmodium triquetrum, Briedelia, Derris idiginosa, Pluohea 
indica, etc. Within the coco-nut zone on the flat land we meet with 
more Gyrocarpus Jacquinii, with the Andamanese Bullet-wood (Mimus- 
ops littoralis), various species of Dipterocarpus, Miliiisa sp., common, 
and some species of Meliacece; the climbing undergrowth in this tract 
i02 
