IC) 



TJIE TROnCAL WORLD. 



others attach themselves with their roots to rocks or trees. In 

 tlie equatorial regions several of their species attain arboreal 

 dimensions, with stems from twelve to thirty feet high and exten- 

 sive crowns of large fronds, imitating the stately tufts of palms. 

 But they do not possess the noble elegance of these kings 

 of tlie vegetable world ; and their stems, of a sombre brown 

 colour, are rather an image of decrepid old age than of the 

 youthful vigour which we admire in the growth of the palms. 

 They do not seem to love the highest temperature of the equator, 

 but rather the milder climate of the mountainous regions near 

 the tropics. Here they frequently stand singly in the thicket, 

 particularly where a waterfall impi-egnates the air with 

 moisture, or on the borders of sources and ponds. No parasites 

 settle upon them, no bird constructs its nest among tlieir 

 fronds, no quadruped burrows in the mouldy ground where 

 tliey take root, even the ants disdain to build on their sapless 

 stems, and thus they make the impression of friendless aliens 

 in a convivial group. 



ARKCA PALM. 



