200 



POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



Fig. 4. Brownea, a Tree with Young Leaves hanging limp at the Ends op 

 the Branches. At the right a Talipot palm in blossom. From a photograph by 

 the author. 



which the jungle comes to the very door of civilization. In our own 

 country we do not find " backwoods " close to cities and towns, but 

 must travel a long way from Boston or New York to find the 

 primeval forest. Ceylon, however, like other tropical countries, fur- 

 nishes examples of jungle in close proximity to the large towns. In- 

 deed, everywhere throughout the island the forest is easily reached. 

 There is no half-way land in Ceylon. That which is needed for roads, 

 gardens or fields is well cared for; other land grows up quickly to 

 jungle. Old fields, abandoned a few years, soon become a dense thicket 

 and later a forest. This is well seen at Anuradhapura, one of the 

 ruined cities in the north central part of the island. Here, the govern- 

 ment archeologists, as they find various parts of buildings such as 

 columns and arches, set them up in place ; but sometimes they neglect to 



