388 
than in many places, for though the south-west monsoon, which blows for 
half the year, sweeps only over a wide expanse of sea before it reaches 
the islands, there is a very distinct and tolerably powerful north-east 
monsoon which, during a considerable part of the remaining half-year, 
blows from the direction of the adjacent Burmese coast. 
It is, however, easy to overrate the eifect of this agency and however 
well adapted certain friuts, such as those of the two Dipterocarpi, Terminalia 
bialata, Pterocarpus indicus, StercuUa companulata, Porana spectabilis, 
Illigera conyzadenia, Ventilago calyculata, or seeds, such as those of 
StercuUa alata, Gloriosa superba, Aristolochia tagala, may at first sight 
appear to be for transmission by wind, it seems very doubtful on further 
consideration if any of those mentioned could possibly be carried so far 
as from the nearest mainland to these islands. In most of these cases the 
wings of the fruits or seeds can only, as in that of Gyrocarpus, assist 
in local dispersal. Regard must be paid, too, to the usual situation of 
the species, and in the case of Orchids, for example, the seeds of 
which are light, and well adapted for carriage in this way, it is doubtful 
if Calanthe veratrifoUa, which is always found in densely shady places, 
could have been brought in this way. Similarly among the inland 
Cryptogams, for all of which except Chara this means of dispersal is 
doubtless possible, it seems more probable that Acrostichum appendi- 
culatum, which affects the same localities as Calanthe, and Geratopteris 
thalictroides, which undoubtedly is sometimes, if not always, bird- 
introduced, ought to be excluded from this list. 
The table below gives the whole of the possibly “ wind-introduced ” 
species present in the group. 
Table XVII. Distribution of Wind-introduced “ inland ” species 
present in the Coco Group. 
1 
1 
S. E. Asia. 
Anstralia. 
Polynesia. 
America. 
Narcondam. 
Barren Island. 
Species. 
Africa. 
India. 
Indo-China. 
Malaya. 1 
Bombax insigne 
_ 
X 
X 
X 
? 
Eriodendron anfractuosum 
X 
X 
X 
X 
X 
Dodonsea viscosa ... ... 
X 
X 
X 
X 
X 
X 
X 
[Vernonia cinerea] 
X 
X : 
X 
X 
X 
X 
X 
5, Vernonia divergens 
X 
X 
X 
Bumea virens 
_ 
X 
X 
X 
rStrnnhanthus Walliobii].., 
- 
rx] 
- 
- 
- 
- 
? 
198 
