36 Oranges and Lemons of India. 



Further, in an allied genus, the GEgle Marmelos 

 (Bcel), the minute leaves are covered on both sides 

 and edges with a short brownish down. It is shed as 

 the leaves grow, first off the upper surface, and lastly 

 off the edges and nerves of the lower side, so that 

 pubescence, more or less extensive, and more or less 

 permanent, is a character, I believe, not only of the 

 whole genus Citrus, but also of allied genera, and 

 therefore it cannot, in my opinion, be considered as 

 a specific character of the supposed species Citriis 

 decumana the Pummelo proper. It would appear a 

 question only of degree of pubescence and not of a 

 distinctive specific character. 



Then, if the Pummelo proper (the Citrus decumana 

 of Willdenow) is not a distinct species, what is it ? 

 Perhaps it would be better to put a more extended 

 question, viz., " What are all the ' decumana ' (large) 

 Citrus in general ? " The origin of the elephant I 

 consider is an over-fed animal, largely surrounded by 

 tropical forest, where he required little exertion to 

 fully feed himself and grow generation after gener- 

 ation to his present full size. What the elephant and 

 similar large animals are to the other Mammalia, so 

 I surmise, the Pummelos and other huge Citrus were 

 originally to the smaller varieties of Citrus. They 

 probably originated under circumstances of tropical 

 or subtropical luxuriance, with their roots branching 

 among ingredients which tended rather to a sort of 

 elephantiasis of the fruit than to its sweetness and 

 juiciness. Once this habit of growth became fixed, 

 it is easy to imagine that it could be still further 

 increased under more suitable conditions for this 

 particular development. The largest pummelos I 

 have seen came from the district of Etawah a 

 rather dry district. It gets regular rain usually from 



