56 The Naturalist in Nicaragua 
may be the case in trees, such as apples, that have come 
under their notice; and the reason that the varieties die out 
after a certain time, if not reproduced from seed, may be 
that the vigour of the trees is at last used up by the produc- 
tion of mature seed, but that in the seedless bananas, pine- 
apples, and bread-fruits this does not happen. 
Figs grow well in Nicaragua, and by many their luscious 
fruit is preferred to all others. My trees suffered greatly 
from the attacks of a large and fine longicorn beetle (T@nzotes 
scalaris, Fab.) which laid its eggs in the green bark, and 
produced white grubs that mined into the stem. I had to 
dig down to them with a knife to extricate them and prevent 
them destroying the young trees. We were surrounded at a 
short distance by the forest, in which grow many species of 
wild fig-trees; and this probably was the reason that my 
trees suffered so much, for at Granada the fig-growers were 
not troubled with this insect. 
The grenadilla is the fruit of one of the passion-flowers 
(Passiflora quadrangularis), and is shaped like a large oblong 
apple, which it also resembles in perfume. It makes fine 
tarts and puddings, being somewhat like the gooseberry in 
taste. I had much difficulty in preserving it from being 
eaten by small forest rats that came out of the woods, where 
they had already been accustomed to eat the wild fruit of 
this climber. 
The moist, warm climate seemed to suit the papaw tree, 
as it grew with great vigour, and produced very large and 
fine melon-like fruits. The green fruits are excellent for 
making pastry, if flavoured with a little lime-juice. 
In vegetables, I grew three species of sweet potatoes— 
yellow, purple, and white skinned, and which differ also in 
their leaves and flowers; cabbages, kidney-beans, pumpkins, 
yuccas (Jatropha manthot), quequisque (a species of arum, 
Colocasia esculenta), lettuces, tomatoes, capiscums, endives, 
parsley, and carrots. 
The climate was too damp to grow onions; neither could 
I succeed with peas, potatoes, or turnips. Scarlet runners 
(Phaseolus multiflorus) grew well, and flowered abundantly, 
but never produced a single pod. Darwin has shown that 
this flower is dependent, like many others, for its fertilisation 
upon the operations of the busy humble-bee, and that it is 
