THE CAROB. 33 



that I dislike its rank smell, that it is said to be 

 ornithophilous (fertilized by birds), and that the buds 

 are resupinate, that is, they come out upside down 

 and have to turn through two right angles to bring 

 the flower into position. This occurs in Orchis, 

 Ci/tistis Laburnum, and other plants. 



The word " Caruba " is Arabic ; and the smooth 

 hard lentil-shaped seed is said to be the origin of the 

 carat weight used by jewellers, and borrowed from 

 the East. It is thought that these seeds were chosen 

 as a unit of weight because their specific gravity 

 varies so little. Some authorities maintain that the 

 word "Carat" is derived not from " Ceratonia," 

 but from " Retti," the small shining red and black 

 seeds of Abrus Precatorius, an African climbing 

 plant of the Leguminous order. Each of these seeds 

 weighs exactly one grain. They are made into 

 chaplets, hence the name " Precatorius." 



Not only is the glazed surface of the Carob seed 

 proof against the gastric juices of animals, but it is 

 found that they germinate more freely when they 

 have passed through the body of an animal. 



The Carob may perhaps furnish a clue to Virgil's 



"Aureus et foliis et lento vimine ramus." 



I have often been struck by the gorgeous colouring of 

 this tree. When a branch for any reason fades, it 

 shows by turns a russet brown, a metallic golden 

 yellow, and a silver white. A carob tree will some- 

 times look like a huge bouquet, and a poet seeing 

 this effect would not be likely to forget it. There is 

 an objection to this theory, namely that Virgil, like 

 Livy, was a native of Cisalpine Gaul. Now the 

 Carob does not grow near Mantua, so that Virgil 



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