134 HOURS WITH NATURE. 



although the same operation was performed on the 

 stem of a palmyra, no trace of moisture was found. 

 The reason of this was, he explained, that whereas the 

 outer fibres of the banyan retained their vitality and 

 power of growth, those of the palmyra had ceased to 

 grow with the fall of the leaf with which they were 

 connected. The leaves of ashwathwa and banyan 

 &c. fall off, and new ones take their place ; the palmyra 

 and other trees belonging to the same class, also shed 

 their leaves, but here no new leaves take the place of 

 the old ones. The parts with which the old leaves were 

 connected become dead, and the nutriment which 

 sustained the old leaves is carried further upwards. 

 Hence the stem instead of growing thick and branch- 

 ing, becomes tall, thin and gaunt. 



The Piyal and Tamal, beloved of gods and poets, 

 are not quite so familiar as the palmyra, or, the ashwa- 

 thwa yet, they are not at all uncommon trees in Bengal 

 and other parts of India. A native of the mountainous 

 forests of the coast of India, the fiydl is also found 

 pretty well distributed all over the country, especially 

 in Mathura and Brindaban. It is ii superb tree, with 

 a straight, thick and lofty trunk supporting numerous 

 wide-spreading branches, with smooth oval oblong 

 leaves, and bearing during the spring a profusion of 

 whitish green flowers. Tamal is found in most parts of 

 India. It is a tree of . a middling size, with lengthened 

 heart-shaped leaves which are covered with a kind of 

 downy stuff. It is first cousin to one of our well known 



