FAUNA AND FLORA O F MANGROVE SWAMPS
7 5
the land, but most are from the sea. Of the land animals, roosting
flocks of fruit bats, fishing and insectivorous birds and many insects
are conspicuous. Of the marine animals, crabs and molluscs live
permanently in the forest, and prawns and fishes come in on the tide
to feed on the apparently abundant nutriment provided by the mangrove soils.
The mangrove swamp is clearly one route from sea to land. It is a
route followed by the most primitive of the pulmonate snails (Morton.
1955), by land crabs (Harms, 1929, 1930) and perhaps is attempted by
some fish. But there seems to be 110 way by which it can be used by
land animals to invade the sea. It is also a route from the sea to fresh
water as indicated by several neritid snails, and from fresh water
towards the sea as indicated by its invasion by various aquatic insect
larvae.
I n South East Asia man uses mangrove areas for the establishment
of ponds for the culture of fish and prawns, and for timber. In East
Africa mangroves are exploited for timber alone.
A. The word '' mangrove "
The English word " mangrove " is commonly used in one or other
of two senses. It may be applied to a community of trees or shrubs
which grow in the sea, or it may be applied to any one of the individual
species which constitute that association. I n the latter sense i t is usual
to restrict it to the woody shrubs or trees.
The word is of doubtful origin and there is no good record of when
it first came into use. It is usually considered to be a compound of
the Portuguese word mangue with the English grove. I n Portuguese
the word mangue is used in the second of the two senses given above,
i.e. it is a mangrove tree or bush; the community is termed mangal.
The French manglier is akin and also applies to the individual kinds
of tree; pale'tuvier and more recently mangrove are used for the
community. All these may be akin to the Malay manygi-manggi, a
word not used today in Malaya but persisting in eastern Indonesia
where it is used in Ambon for Avicennia (Bakhuizen van der Brink,
1921). Dutch uses vloedbosschen for the community and mangrove for
individual kinds of tree. German use seems to follow the English.
To avoid confusion I shall use the word mangal when dealing with
the forest community, and the word mangrove for individual kinds of
tree.
The languages of South East Asia distinguish individual trees and
tend to apply the name of one or other of these to the community. The
name usually chosen for the community is that applied to the genus
7 5
the land, but most are from the sea. Of the land animals, roosting
flocks of fruit bats, fishing and insectivorous birds and many insects
are conspicuous. Of the marine animals, crabs and molluscs live
permanently in the forest, and prawns and fishes come in on the tide
to feed on the apparently abundant nutriment provided by the mangrove soils.
The mangrove swamp is clearly one route from sea to land. It is a
route followed by the most primitive of the pulmonate snails (Morton.
1955), by land crabs (Harms, 1929, 1930) and perhaps is attempted by
some fish. But there seems to be 110 way by which it can be used by
land animals to invade the sea. It is also a route from the sea to fresh
water as indicated by several neritid snails, and from fresh water
towards the sea as indicated by its invasion by various aquatic insect
larvae.
I n South East Asia man uses mangrove areas for the establishment
of ponds for the culture of fish and prawns, and for timber. In East
Africa mangroves are exploited for timber alone.
A. The word '' mangrove "
The English word " mangrove " is commonly used in one or other
of two senses. It may be applied to a community of trees or shrubs
which grow in the sea, or it may be applied to any one of the individual
species which constitute that association. I n the latter sense i t is usual
to restrict it to the woody shrubs or trees.
The word is of doubtful origin and there is no good record of when
it first came into use. It is usually considered to be a compound of
the Portuguese word mangue with the English grove. I n Portuguese
the word mangue is used in the second of the two senses given above,
i.e. it is a mangrove tree or bush; the community is termed mangal.
The French manglier is akin and also applies to the individual kinds
of tree; pale'tuvier and more recently mangrove are used for the
community. All these may be akin to the Malay manygi-manggi, a
word not used today in Malaya but persisting in eastern Indonesia
where it is used in Ambon for Avicennia (Bakhuizen van der Brink,
1921). Dutch uses vloedbosschen for the community and mangrove for
individual kinds of tree. German use seems to follow the English.
To avoid confusion I shall use the word mangal when dealing with
the forest community, and the word mangrove for individual kinds of
tree.
The languages of South East Asia distinguish individual trees and
tend to apply the name of one or other of these to the community. The
name usually chosen for the community is that applied to the genus