the wet moss on which they lay ! The delicately perfumed
little orchid, Dendrochilum glumaceum, was flowering
freely, its elegantly drooping inflorescence resembling
RHODODENDRON ST EN O PH Y L LUM .
The most dainty filagree work. Golden and white-
flowered coelogynes nestled here and there beside our
path. In one place, the curious little Rhododendron
■ericifolium was in bloom ; and another species, growing
on mossy trunks, bore waxy, bell-shaped flowers of a
clear orange-scarlet colour. The dark glossy green
foliage of this last reminded one of that of a sciadopitys
in form, being linear, and arranged in whorls. It has
been named (Rhododendron stenopliyllum, Hook. f.).
As we ascended the temperature fell faster and faster,
and at intervals we were completely enveloped in dense
clouds of mist, while at other times they were dispersed,
and the sun brightened up the mountain side. One
place we passed this morning is rather dangerous, almost
like walking on the ridge of a high building, the descent
■on one side however being a sheer precipice of 1,500
feet, and the other side is steep ; but there are a few
bushes near, which give one confidence. At 8,000 feet
we again enter a dripping cloud, or rather it sweeps down
to meet us, and the trees here are of low stature and
gnarled, the branches being so low that in places one
has to crawl through them. Casuarina trees are commonly
met with. The ground and lower bushes are
covered with wet mosses, and white hair-like masses of
usnea sway to and fro in the higher branches. The cold
increased, and my Labuan men felt it very much. I
looked at my thermometer at three o’clock during a
heavy shower, and at an altitude of 9,000 feet, and it
registered 56°. In England one would consider this a
delicious temperature ; but when we started this morning
we had a temperature thirty degrees higher.
It was curious to notice the effect the depression of
heat and the rain had on my men, who had never in
their lives known the thermometer below 70°. They
appeared perfectly paralysed; and the Dusun themselves
were but little better. We reached our former
camping-place, the,cave, about 8.30, wet, cold, tired, and
hungry. Five of the fellows were so far chilled and
exhausted that they gave up when within ten minutes
of the cave, and huddled themselves close together under
x 2