CHAP. XI. BEAUTIFUL LAKE SCENERY. 285 the side towards the interior were often rocky and steep, pre senting in some places marks upon the rocks high above the water, which appeared to indicate the level of the water at some former period. The rocks themselves appeared to be sandstone, but above these in several places along the shore, and in the neighbourhood, the upper parts of the high ground seemed to consist of loose sand, resembling that spread along the edge of the lake, which consisted chiefly of pulverised quartz. The vegetation on the borders of the lake presented greater variety than I had previously witnessed. Mangroves, mag nolias, palmistes, two or three species of pandanus, one of them trifoliated and exceedingly graceful in its habit, with the broad-leaved traveller’s tree, were all growing together. The whole was enlivened by the frequent appearance of the plant with a petunia shaped flower, which I had met with on the previous day, and which, with its scarlet and pink flowers, looked not unlike a large species of azalea covered with blos soms. The angrsecum was abundant, and this in full flower, as well as the large bird’s nest ferns, might sometimes be seen at the end of the trunk of a dead tree that stretched its crooked length twenty or thirty feet over the water. Towards noon we reached the end of the lake Imoasa, and landed at a place bearing the not very inviting name of An- davaka-menarana, hole of serpents. The rain had now ceased, and while the men were preparing the breakfast I could not resist the temptation to explore the adjacent wood. A cluster of long, jointed, slender stalked shrubs growing by the side of a stream, and bearing clusters of pendulous flowers beautifully white, and larger and longer in the tube than the Stephanotus floribunda, first attracted my attention; but I searched in vain for seeds. The chief rarity I met with was a climbing plant with leaf and stalk somewhat resemb ling vanilla, or Dendrobium chrysantheum; but on closer
