CHAP. xvi. APPLES OF SODOM. 281 



alone, without any real objective existence in the 

 natural world. Mr. Curzon, in his interesting work 

 on the " Monasteries of the Levant," mentions that on 

 one occasion, when travelling among the mountains 

 to the east of the Dead Sea, on a remarkably sultry 

 day, he and his companions saw before them the 

 tempting sight of a fine plum-tree loaded with fresh 

 plums, with a beautiful bloom upon them ; but when 

 they came up to it, and snatched the plums from the 

 branches and began to eat, instead of the cool delicious 

 pulp which they expected, their mouths were filled 

 with dry bitter dust, which they immediately sputtered 

 out with loathing. Mr. Curzon brought home speci- 

 mens of this object, which were given to the Linnaean 

 Society, and by them described in their "Transactions" 

 at the time. This, which may fairly be classed among 

 the most curious productions of the Holy Land, was 

 found, on scientific examination, to be a kind of gall- 

 nut ; and it occurs in several places in the East, as 

 well as on the plains of Troy, where Mr. Curzon 

 afterwards found it. There can be little doubt that 

 it is the famous Dead Sea fruit, or apple of Sodom. 

 It grows on a kind of ilex or evergreen oak ; it is 

 pear-shaped, about two inches long, of a rich dark 

 purple colour, and comes to a point at the head ; it 

 is marked around its circumference with a ring of 

 little dots or shields like those on the under surface 

 of the oak leaf. 



The way in which it is produced is exceedingly 

 curious. A little fly-like insect punctures the bark or 



