HARD WICKE' S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



tail in her mouth, and goes right off asleep like a 

 church ; the young ones crowd in all of a heap, and 

 I wriggle round the lot. They worrit about a bit, 

 but are soon still. For five months all is blank. 

 Once, indeed, I was caught by a fat man. I just 

 knew something was moving ; but he did as he iiked 

 with my head, feet, and arms j I had no fear or 

 power of resistance. I do remember, and resent it 

 bitterly, finding myself unpleasantly hot on the 

 kitchen hob ; the wretch had thawed me. It was 

 close on spring-time. I escaped, and found another 

 hole to dwell in, and later on captured another wife ; 

 I don't know if I was really free, but we lizards don't 

 think so much of this point ; the old 'un was a bit of 

 a vixen, and I've been more comfortable since the 

 change. 



SOME SIAMESE FRUITS. 



THE fruits peculiar to the peninsulas and islands 

 of Malay Land are so wholly unknown in 

 England even by name, except to those familiar with 

 the writings of the few naturalists who have visited 

 the Archipelago, that some description of the Indo- 

 Malayan (and therefore Siamese) fruits may not be 

 without the interest of novelty. 



If this article were to be taken as a descrip- 

 tion of the chief fruits of Siam, it might be 

 thought that from this corner of Asia the banana and 

 mango, so well known in India, were singularly 

 absent. But I write now in the midst of a great fruit- 

 plantation just outside Bangkok, and here the long, 

 drooping finger-leaves of the mango-tree and the 

 great broad leaves of the banana, now sadly ribboned 

 by past storms, are only less prominent than the 

 stately areca-palm which towers over all. 



But we must confine our attention to the fruits that 

 are now within my reach, and refrain from the tempta- 

 tion to dilate on favourite absentees. 



Of the seven fruits in the group only three are 

 quite peculiar to Malay Land ; these shall be described 

 first. The fourth and fifth are Asiatic fruits, but 

 have a wide tropical range ; and the last two are of 

 American origin, long cultivated in Asia. 



(i.) Number one shall be the "king of fruits," 

 the famous Durian, about which Wallace says that 

 " to eat durians is a new sensation worth a voyage 

 to the East to experience." Indeed, Wallace's de- 

 scription of the durian is so complete and so appreci- 

 ative that I cannot do better than advise you to 

 supplement my necessarily brief account of this 

 marvellous fruit by reading what he says about it in 

 Chapter V. of "The Malay Archipelago." In the 

 illustration two durians hang from the branch on 

 which they have grown, fitly surmounting the whole 

 group, and easily distinguished by their long sharp 

 spines and exterior markings of the five divisions of 

 the carpels, over which the spines arch slightly. So 



strong and sharp are the durian spines that it is 

 almost impossible to lift the fruit off the ground if the 

 stalk has been broken off. When the ripe fruit falls 

 from the lofty tree on which it grows, it is certain to 

 inflict serious injury on any unfortunate creature who 

 may happen to be immediately below. The blow- 

 given by the huge fruit is itself very severe, and the 

 spines tear the flesh terribly. So that " trees and 

 fruits do not appear to be organised with exclusive 

 reference to the use and convenience of man ; " other- 

 wise, why doesn't the durian grow on a low tree like 

 the jack-fruit ? 



Opinions of travellers are divided into two distinct 

 classes as to the merits of the durian. The enthusi- 

 astic encomiums of Wallace will seem strangely 

 contradicted by the strongly-expressed aversion of 

 men who have traded and travelled but not lived in 

 Durian-land. The fact is that the king of fruits has, 

 unfortunately, an extremely disagreeable odour, "like 

 onions in a state of putrefaction," which makes its. 

 presence indoors an intolerable nuisance, so that those 

 who do not know the secret about durian-eating, 

 never get further than reviling the odour. The only 

 way to overcome the first repugnance is to eat durian 

 out of doors at the foot of the tree from which it has 

 just fallen, for even an hour's delay spoils the exquisite 

 flavour — a flavour so truly " indescribable, '\ that " a 

 rich butter-like custard, highly flavoured with al- 

 monds," "cream-cheese," " onion-sauce," '" brown 

 sherry," are among the "incongruities" of which it 

 reminds one. 



The Siamese call this fruit the "Too reean," and 

 as "reean" means also "to learn," there may be 

 some humorous reference to the necessity of an edu- 

 cation in durian-eating ; but the Siamese are so rarely 

 humorous that this is probably a mere linguistic 

 coincidence. 



The botanists, or at least the few whose works I 

 am able to consult, seem undecided as to the place 

 Durio zibethinus shall occupy in the great families of 

 plants, whether it shall be regarded as a member of 

 the tribe Bombacese in the order Malvaceae, or whether 

 Bombaceas shall be elevated to the rank of a separate 

 order. But as very few of the ordinary text-books 

 mention the durian at all, it is not much use trying 

 to settle the matter at present. 



(2.) Of the Malayan Mangosteen no one says any- 

 thing but praise. It has no unpleasant odour, is of 

 conveniently small size, and of most luscious flavour. 

 The "Pride of the Malays" is a title accorded to 

 it which bears evidence to the good taste of even 

 rice-eating Malays. In size and shape it is like a 

 small apple or orange, but in exterior colouring and 

 interior arrangement far different. Its rind is of dark 

 mahogany colour, and is so hard and leathery that it 

 requires a very strong hand and sharp knife to cut it. 

 Oriental servants usually slit the rind midway all 

 round before sending the fruit to table, then the 

 upper half can be lifted off and the edible fruit ex- 



