Chap. III. CURIOUS FRUITS. 217 



more elevated and drier situations. A third kind is 

 the Pama, which is a stone-fruit, similar in colour and 

 appearance to the cherry, but of oblong shape. The 

 tree is one of the loftiest in the forest, and has never, I 

 believe, been selected for cultivation. To get at the 

 fruit the natives are obliged to climb to the height of 

 about a hundred feet, and cut off the heavily laden 

 branches. I have already mentioned the Umari and 

 the Wishi : both these are now. cultivated. The fatty, 

 bitter pulp which surrounds the large stony seeds of 

 these fruits is eaten mixed with farinha, and is very 

 nourishing. Another cultivated fruit is the Puruma 

 (Puruma cecropisefolia, Martius), a round juicy berry, 

 growing in large bunches and resembling grapes in 

 taste. The tree is deceptively like a Cecropia in the 

 shape of its foliage. Another smaller kind, called Pu- 

 ruma-i, grows wild in the forest 

 close to Ega, and has not yet 

 been planted. The most sin- 

 gular of all these fruits is the 

 Uiki, which is of oblong shape, 

 and grows apparently cross- 

 wise on the end of its stalk. 



Uiki Fruit. 



When ripe the thick green 



rind opens by a natural cleft across the middle, 

 and discloses an oval seed the size of a damascene 

 plum, but of a vivid crimson colour. This bright hue 

 belongs to a thin coating of pulp which, when the 

 seeds are mixed in a plate of stewed bananas, gives 

 to the mess a pleasant rosy tint, and a rich creamy 

 taste and consistence. Mingau (porridge) of bananas 



