386 
fire. The effects of actual charring were, however, observed in the 
hollow trunk of a large Mimusops near the shelter huts at the south end 
of Great Coco ; closer comparison shows that the product of the Fungus 
has a facies of its own unlike that of true charcoal. This difference is 
difficult to express in words, but is very recognisable when the two things 
are placed side by side. The phenomenon was not noticed in the case 
of Erythrina, Heritiera, Stephegyne, or other dead trees on the beach. 
Excluding from consideration all the doubtful species enclosed in 
brackets we find that there are 80 unequivocally sea-introduced plants, or 
more than one-fourth of the phanerogamic species and over 22 per cent, of 
the entire flora. On consulting the distribution it is seen how greatly the 
coast flora is one characteristic of the Indian Ocean and of Malayan Seas, 
particularly the latter, since 76 species, or 97 per cent, occur on the shores 
of the Malay Islands, whereas only 66, or 83 per cent., occur on the Indian 
coasts of the Sea of Bengal. Moreover one of these, Sarcolobus globosus, 
might almost be omitted, its only Indian locality being the Sunderbuns, at 
the head of the Bay of Bengal. Another, Ipomma denticulata, though ex¬ 
tending up the eastern side of the Bay to the coast of Arracan, is, on the 
western side, confined to Ceylon. This indication of a tendency to ex¬ 
tension eastward is borne out by the features of the further distribution 
of these species, for 60 species, or 76 per cent., extend south-eastward 
to the shores of northern Australia, while only 47, or 59 per cent., extend 
south-west to the Mascarene Islands ; and 51 species, or 64 per cent., 
occur in one or other of the Polynesian groups, while only 36, or 46 per 
cent., reach continental East Africa. But, while this is the case, it is inter- 
estino- to note that 21 species, or 24 per cent., occur on the African Atlantic 
coast, and 15 species, or 19 per cent., cross the Atlantic to the Eastern 
coasts of America, whereas only 13 species, or 16 per cent., extend across 
the Pacific from Polynesia to the Western American coasts. These fea¬ 
tures of the littoral flora are given more compactly in the subjoined table. 
Table XV. Extension of “ littoral ” species present in the Coco Group. 
Species 
extending westward to 
Species 
present in the 
Species 
extending eastward to 
America. 
(Atlantic Coasts.) 
West Africa. j 
(Atlantic Coasts.) 
Eastern Africa. 
1 
Mascarene. 
India and Ceylon. 
Coco Group. 
Malay Archipelago. 
North Australia. 
Polynesia. 
America. 
(Pacific Coasts.) 
15 
21 
36 
47 
66 
80 
76 1 60 
51 
13 
19% 
24% 
46% 
597o 
837o 
100% 
97% 1 76% 
647„ 
167o 
196 
