THE WONDERS OF VEGETATION. 95 



a striking comment upon human nature and the con- 

 dition of its development. It proves that the progress 

 of man is measured by the urgency and the contin- 

 gencies of his necessities. The banana-tree feeds the 

 inhabitants of the regions in which it grows without 

 demanding labor daily food is within their reach, 

 sufficing for all their bodily wants without the neces- 

 sity on their part of active exertions ; consequently, 

 they remain in a condition of comparative mental 

 somnolence, and we find the character of their inert 

 lives clearly written in their listless faces. 



In Java there are bananas the appearance of which 

 produces a deep and permanent impression upon the 

 mind. M. de Molins thus describes his feelings upon 

 arriving in the forests of that island : 



" After a journey of an hour and a half through 

 the open country we found ourselves in the jungle. 

 It was a confused mass of vegetation, in which, how- 

 ever, the wild banana, with its leaves a pale green on 

 one side, and on the other spotted with red and brown, 

 seemed to be the most prevalent tree. We steered 

 our way through this sea of plants of all kinds, and 

 admired in it above all the tree-ferns with their arbor- 

 escent stems, and graceful and regular leaves those 

 marvellous ferns which vie equally with the flowers 

 by their exquisite form, with the birds by their beau- 

 tiful color, and with the trees by their imposing 

 height. 



" All at once the native who went with us as 

 guide, and who was aware of the object of our expedi- 

 tion, stopped and called us : ' Look here ! ' * Where ? : 



