296 STUDIES OF NATURE. 



in their branches, the tinder at their foot, and the 

 fteel at their roots. 



To the South, on the contrary, trees prefent, in 

 their foliage, fans, umbrellas, parafols. Thelatanier 

 carries each of it's leaves plaited as a fan, attached 

 to a long tail, and fimilar, when completely dif- 

 played, to a radiating Sun of verdure. Two of 

 thofe trees are to be feen in the Royal-Garden. 

 The leaf of the banana refembles a long and broad 

 girdle, which, undoubtedly, procured for it the 

 name of Adam's fig-tree. The magnitude of the 

 leaves of feveral fpecies of trees increafes in pro- 

 portion as we approach the Line. That of the 

 cocoa-tree, with double fruit, of the Sechelles 

 Iflands, is from twelve to fifteen feet long, and 

 from feven to eight broad. A fingle one is fuffi- 

 cient to cover a numerous family. One of thofe 

 leaves is, likewife, to be feen in the Royal Cabinet 

 of Natural Hiftory. That of the talipot of the 

 lfland of Ceylon is of nearly the fame fize. 



The interefting and unfortunate Robert Kno\\ 

 who has given the beft account of Ceylon which I 

 am acquainted with, tells us, that one of the leaves 

 of the talipot is capable of covering from fifteen 

 to twenty perfons. When it is dry, continues he, 

 it is at once ftrong and pliant, fo that you may 

 fold and unfold it at pleafure, being naturally 



plaited 



