78 THE WONDERS OF VEGETATION. 



a peculiar reddish black color, extremely repulsive to 

 foreigners. 



The betel is composed of small pieces of arecanut 

 rolled up with a little fresh lime in the leaves of the 

 betel pepper. 



We are puzzled to know how these ingredients can 

 be agreeable to the taste, yet it is certain that the prac- 

 tice of using the betel nut is of ancient origin among 

 the East Indians, and at least as general there as the 

 use of tobacco in Europe and America. Women even 

 habitually use it ; and the practice dates from such a 

 remote time that there is no tradition among them 

 that the teeth were ever allowed to retain their nat- 

 ural color. On the contrary, white teeth have ever 

 been looked upon as extremely ugly, resembling 

 dogs' teeth ! All the effects of the betel nut are not, 

 however, prejudicial. It strengthens the stomach and 

 makes the breath very agreeable. But it destroys the 

 enamel of the teeth and the teeth themselves the 

 lime having, probably, most to do with this efiect. 



The Indian betel must not be confounded with 

 that used by the Turkish women ; the latter has the 

 advantage of the former in usefulness, and is said 

 to possess none of its decided disadvantages. 



The Indians always prepare their betel from the 

 newly-gathered areca nut and the betel pepper. The 

 color of betel is reddish, and gives the same color to 

 the saliva ; the latter has to be discarded till it loses 

 its redness a very inconvenient necessity, which how- 

 ever, does not hinder the Indian women from using 

 it. The English often call the areca palm the betel-nut- 



