THE MELON. 223 



is administered in fevers as the only medicine the poorer 

 Egyptian has within his power. 



Later travellers give similar accounts of their great 

 abundance and utility in Egypt, one recent writer in par- 

 ticular stating that " Water Melons hold the first rank 

 among Egyptian fruits," and that, though constituting a 

 chief item in the diet of the poorest classes, they are also 

 usually seen at the table of people of rank, it being the 

 custom to eat slices of Water Melon at dinner in the in- 

 tervals between each different dish. He adds that " they 

 certainly come to great perfection in this country, and, 

 as I myself experienced, may be eaten freely in any quan- 

 tities without danger." This, however, is .by no means 

 the case in cooler climates, for they are said to cause 

 worms if indulged in constantly, and more serious con- 

 sequences have occasionally ensued from eating them to 

 excess, sudden death having even been known to follow an 

 imprudence of this kind. The whole melon tribe, indeed, 

 are scarcely to be reckoned perfectly wholesome, some 

 constitutions being quite unable even to taste them with 

 impunity, though on the majority of people they produce 

 no bad effect when partaken of with moderation. As a 

 general rule, it has been found that the hotter the wea- 

 ther the better are melons, and the less danger is there 

 in indulging in them freely. In Paris, where they rarely 

 appear at the dessert, being mostly eaten as a liors d'ceuvre 

 with salt, which facilitates their digestion, as the tempe- 

 rature of the season becomes lower towards the 20th of 

 September, the sale of them is forbidden by the police. 

 They are less used than perhaps any other fruit in any 

 culinary process, but in the south of France, preserves, 

 more or less good, are sometimes made of them, the best 

 being that known as Ecorce verte de citron. The seeds 

 reckoned cooling, diuretic, and anodyne were formerly 

 used in medicine for purposes for which sweet almonds 

 are now preferred ; and, pierced and strung on wire or 

 thread, they may be formed into pretty bracelets and other 

 ornaments. 



A near but very humble relative of the aristocratic 

 .melon is our common Pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo\ more 



