Ko. 11. — 1858-9.] SCRIPTURE BOTANY OF CEYLON. 325 



referred to as one of the signs of prosperity (I Kings xviii. 

 25.) "And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under 

 his vine and under his fig tree." And its failure is noted as 

 a sign of affliction (Ps. cv. 33) : He smote their fig trees, 

 and broke the trees of their coasts." 



All writers who have studied the subject, are agreed that 

 the Fig tree so often named in the Bible is the common Fig 

 (Fie us caricaj, and which is pretty commonly grown in 

 Ceylon; where most of the fruits, however, fall off before they 

 are matured, from want of knowledge amongst the cultivators, 

 of some facts connected with their cultivation, I believe. 

 The fruit of this, and all the other species of Fig, consists of 

 the hollow succulent receptacle, or general peduncle, enclos- 

 ing numerous flowers : but from the fact that the Sinhalese 

 are not in the habit of investigating such matters, they assert 

 that the Fig tree has no flowers, and in reference to this, 

 and the confidence placed in the truthfulness of woman 

 by the Sinhalese, Major Forbes gave the following versified 

 translation of some lines uttered in his Court : — 



'• I*ve seen the Udumbera * tree in flower, 



White plumage on the crow, 

 And fishes' footsteps o'er the deep 



Have traced thro' ebb and How. 

 If man it is who thus asserts, 



You may his word believe ; 

 13nt if from woman's lips — distrust, 



She speaks but to deceive." 



Cedar. 



I do not believe we have a single representative in Ceylon 

 of the natural order of Pines to which the Cedar tree belongs. 

 The Casuarinas, common about Colombo, bear a great 

 resemblance to some of the Fir tribe, but that is all. 



* The Sanscrit name of the Banyan. 

 It 



