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JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON). [VOL. XII. 



into the pot of rice. Then she left and sought her other 

 child, who received her with all hospitality. The ungrate- 

 ful daughter was pleased on her return to find her mother 

 gone, and proceeded to partake of her meal alone, when to 

 her astonishment she found the rice reeking with blood. 

 Such was the punishment for her want of filial affection. 

 But the strange sequel is the important part of this account, 

 for when the bloody meal was thrown away an unknown 

 plant sprung up from the place whereon it fell, which in 

 course of time developed a tuber, to which was given 

 the name Batata, derived from bata, "rice," and le, 

 " blood" — an unpleasant-enough etymology for so estimable 

 a food. 



The Origin of the Names of some Plants. 



Among a great number of crude stories current as to the 

 origin of the names of certain plants I will here give 

 those connected with the names of two well-known 

 native products, jak and coffee, and that of a medicinal 

 orchid, Nagd-meru-ale, "the yam that killed the younger 

 sister " (Habenaria macrostachya). 



The Jak Tree {Herali-gaha). — Like most economic plants, 

 the jak tree was originally found growing wild, and its value 

 as a food was known to none. It was in fact considered to 

 be a poisonous growth till the god Sakra made its value 

 known by a strange method. The divine benefactor is 

 related to have descended to earth, having assumed the form 

 of an old man, and, carrying a large-sized jak, to have present- 

 ed himself before a village housewife, entreating her to boil 

 for him the fruit he carried. With some persuasion the 

 woman was induced to do the service asked for. After 

 delivering his burden the old man went away on some pre- 

 tended business, giving the woman strict injunctions not to 

 taste of the fruit. The strange plan of the god succeeded 

 well, for, with the proverbial curiosity of woman, the house- 

 wife, like her mother Eve, was most inquisitive to know 

 what the fruit tasted like, for the aroma of the boiling jak 



