CHAPTER XXI 



THE DIURNAL MOVEMENT OF THE PRAYING PALM 



The report of the performances of the ' Praying ' Palm of 

 Faridpore drew my attention to this most remarkable 

 phenomenon. This tree exhibited a regular up-and-down 

 movement through a considerable extent day after day. 

 It was a fully grown Date Palm [Phoenix sylvestris), the 



Fig. 131. The ' Praying' Palm. The morning position. 



length of the trunk being about 5 metres, with a diameter 

 of 25 cm. It must have been displaced by a storm, so that 

 the trunk was incHned to the vertical at about 60°. Fig. 131 

 shows the upper portion of the trunk. Two vertical stakes, 

 each I metre in length, give the relative positions of the 

 trunk in its two extreme excursions.' In the course of its 



