BOUTON ON ZIZYPHUS JUJUBA, 219 
OBSERVATIONS ox Tan DIFFERENT VARIETIES or 
ZIZYPHUS JUJUBA, Lam. CULTIVATED IN THE MAURI- 
| TIUS; Bv L. BOUTON, Vics-Secrerary or THE NAT. 
' Hist. Soc. OF THAT ISLAND, AND CORRESPONDENT OF THE 
Rovan Museum or Nar. Hist. or Paris. 
(Read at the meeting of the Natural History Society of Mauri- 
tius, and communicated by M. Bouton, with the drawings 
from the pencil of Professor Bojer, for this Journal.) 
I wave undertaken to write the Natural History of the Fruit 
Trees which are cultivated in the Island of Mauritius, as well as 
of those, few however in number, which are found indigenous 
in our forests, and from the culture of which, some advan- 
tage may be expected. My intention is to glance at them 
under their agricultural and ceconomical characters, and 
to notice particularly those which I think would deserve to be 
more generally diffused. The result of my researches shall 
be laid before the Society at its several meetings. I am 
aware of the difficulties that lie in the way of such an under- 
taking; remotely situated as I am, far from large libraries, 
extensive collections, or learned bodies, and consequently 
destitute of objects for comparison, how can I hope to avoid 
falling into repetitions, or what is worse, giving credit to 
errors, long since rectified in Europe? On the other hand, 
though beset with many obstacles, I enjoy many advantages 
for the accomplishment of this design. The plants that I 
shall describe are growing before my eyes, and with the 
exception of the few fruit-bearing vegetables that have been 
brought from Europe, all those introduced from Bengal, 
China, Madagascar and the other intra-tropical regions, 
grow here as vigorously as in their native soil. Of these 
l mean to give a successive enumeration; and, happy in 
the belief that their history will present some remarkable 
