NO. 42. — 1891.] SINHALESE PLANT LORE. 



121 



would be freely partaken of, and we should constantly 

 be put to great difficulty to find out elderly relatives or 

 acquaintances. 



But there is also another belief that portions of this plant 

 can be secured by any industrious man who will follow 

 certain prescribed directions. If any one wishes to obtain a 

 twig of this "tree of life" he will be able to get it through 

 the intervention of a certain bird. There is a bird known in 

 Ceylon as the Eti-kukuld (Centropus chlororhyncus), and this 

 bird is said to build its nest on the sides of mountains, where 

 it lays its eggs. After finding such a nest, the person who de- 

 sires to obtain the Kalu-nika should watch it till the eggs are 

 hatched and the young birds come out. Before these quit 

 the nest, wire made of an alloy of five metals should be used 

 to fasten the young Eti-kukulu to the branch on which the 

 nest is made. Neither the little birds nor the old ones are 

 able to break this magic metal string, unless they bring to 

 the place a piece or pieces of the Kalu-nika plant. They 

 know to a certainty where it can be procured. In order to 

 unloose the metal wire they bring twigs of the plant to the 

 nest, when the metal strings give way and the young ones 

 are enabled to fly off. Thus a patient man will be able to 

 find to a certainty twigs of Kalu-nika in the nest. But 

 the birds make it a difficult task for one to distinguish 

 the real plant, for they also bring to their nests twigs similar 

 to those of the Kalu-nika from other species of plants. If 

 the whole nest and the pieces of sticks in it be taken and 

 thrown into a stream piece by piece, and the person who 

 does so wishes it, the Kalu-nika twigs will float against 

 the current, — so it is said ; and by this process any person 

 can procure the Kalu-nika, which bestows youth, beauty, 

 and long life. 



Then we come to another imaginary jungle tree called the 

 Visa-kumbha, or the plant which is an antidote for all 

 poisons, the mere act of touching it being sufficient not 

 only to cure one of the effects of a poisonous bite or sting, 



