The Citron Group. 65 



of which the upper 2 ins. are contracted into a long 

 conical mammilla ; the rind is very thick, and pulp pale 

 yellow. The petals pass into stamens, which would 

 suggest its not being indigenous ; but I did not doubt 

 its being so when I gathered it, mainly on dry sunny 

 slopes, totally urisuited for any kind of cultivation, 

 where it formed large bushes." 



Of course, when a botanist says he found a certain 

 plant wild in a certain place, he probably does not 

 mean that it has been there from the beginning of 

 time, or even from the very commencement of the 

 citrus family on this earth. The site where Sir J. 

 Hooker found this wild citrus may have been the 

 scene of many previous changes, not only geological 

 and meteorological, but also those produced by human 

 agency. It may have been the scene of invasions, 

 and destruction by fire, and of subsequent new forest 

 growth ; it may have been the scene of peaceful clear- 

 ings for villages, &c. In those days I fancy villages 

 were very primitive such as might be made of wood, 

 leaves, and perishable materials. If the tribes hap- 

 pened to be nomadic, and the- site was abandoned, in 

 a very short time the place would become reforested, 

 and not a trace of such perishable materials would 

 remain. We can rarely know to what extent man 

 and other animals may have aided in carrying seeds 

 of plants from place to place. Who can tell what 

 part parrots, especially, have played in disseminating 

 citrus seed, carried with the pulp to their nests for 

 their young, and dropping it on their way in various 

 places ? 



Therefore, in most cases, it is next to impossible 

 to decide, whenever a citrus is found wild anywhere, 

 whether it was there, or in the vicinity, from the 



F 



