;:::::::3E THE TROPICS M: 



THE GROTESQUE FRUIT 



mouths seemed to be grinning down at us. When 

 overripe the tooth-like seeds projected still farther 

 from the fruit-lips, and the dripping sap added a new 

 element of grotesqueness. Absurd as it may seem, the 

 facial expression of the seed-pods changed from day to 

 day ! When first beginning to open, a gentle smile 

 characterized the fruit, and, as the gap widened and the 

 seeds appeared, the semblance to a smile became a grin, 



^ 289 ^ 



