But, although the exceptions were striking, he found that in Borneo, as elsewhere, flowers were scarcer than he had expected in an equatorial forest.

There were, however, more than enough of striking and surprising things to engage the attention of our hero, and arouse his interest.
One tree they came to which rendered him for some moments absolutely speechless! to the intense delight of the professor, who marched his new-found sympathiser from one object of interest to another with the secret intention of surprising him, and when he had got him to the point of open-mouthed amazement he was wont to turn his spectacles full on his face, like the mouths of a blue binocular, in order to witness and enjoy his emotions! Nigel found this out at last and was rather embarrassed in consequence.
"Zat," exclaimed the naturalist, after gazing at his friend for some time in silence, "zat is a tree vitch planted itself in mid-air and zen sent its roots down to zee ground and its branches up to zee sky!" "It looks as if it had," returned Nigel; "I have seen a tree of the same kind near the coast.

How came it to grow in this way ?" "I know not.

It is zought zat zey spring from a seed dropped by a bird into zee fork of anozer tree.

Zee seed grows, sends his roots down ant his branches up.