12 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HLSTORY SOCIETY, 1892. 
South-east of Chitlac, in Lon, 73° E. and Lat. 11°28'. N., lies 
Kiltan, the smallest inhabited island of the group. It has been 
visited and described by Mr. Robinson,* by Mr. Hume,t who also 
has published a map of the island, and by Dr. Alcock;| Both 
Mr. Hume and Dr. Alcock.have made collections, and a third col¬ 
lection has been obtained by Dr. Alcock and Mr, Fleming during 
the second Investigator visit in 1891. The atoll of Kiltan “is a 
“ long oval reef enclosing the usual lagoon with one entrance at the 
“north-west corner, surrounded by the usual shelving bank, varying 
“from one-eighth to half a mile in breadth, beyond the edge of which 
“the lead drops at once into very deep water, and with the whole 
“ eastern side of thereof converted into an island which is nearly two 
“ miles in length, and may average nearly a quarter of a mile in 
‘width.’^§ “ The lagoon is large but shallow, and is nearly dry at low 
“ water. The whole island is devoted to the cultivation of the coco- 
“ nut, the trees being planted down to the water^s edge on every side; 
“the substratum of coral-rock is nowhere broken up for grain culti- 
“ vation, which therefore hardly exists on the island. The population 
“ being too limited to consume the coco-nut leaves, the ground in 
“some parts is covered with decaying vegetable matter, most bene- 
“ficial to the trees. In other islands it is necessary to rear plants for 
“one year with care and then transplant them ; in this, a nut buried 
“ with a knife will grow, requires no attention, and comes into bearing 
“early.^’11 Mr. Robinson mentions the Bread-fruit, Areca-nut, and 
Lime as trees that are planted by the islanders, but says that they do 
not thrive; in addition to these Mr. Hume mentions the Papaya, the 
Horse-radish tree, the Plantain and the Castor-oil plant;/beside 
these, Mr. Fleming also enumerates the Agati {Seshania grandifiora) 
which is grown as a support for the Pepper-vine, a plant on which the 
people bestow much attention ^ythe Melon too is reported by Mr. 
Fleming as ‘ only cultivated,^ as perhaps is the Cucumber, of which 
* Robinson, “Madr. Journ,,” vol. xiv., p. 23, 
t Hume, “Stray Feathers," vol. iv., p. 436, with Map. 
X Alcock, in Hpskyn, “ Administration Report of Marine Survey of India," year 
1889-90, p. 12. 
f Hume, “ Stray Feathers,” vol. xiv., p. 436. 
II Robinson, “ Madras Journal,” vol. xiv., p. 24. 
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