3lti 
THE ISLAND OF CEYLON. 
flavour, and no quantity eaten of it lias been found to injure 
the stomach. When fried it is delicious, in appearance like 
fritters, and in taste resembling pancakes. The size of this 
fruit varies as well as its colour, which sometimes a 
beautiful vermilion. 
Ceylon produces two species of the bread-fruit tree. One 
species, the jacka, or jack-fruit, grows upon a tree of a 
very large size, which spreads out its branches around like 
our chesnut. This fruit is of a very extraordinary appear- 
ance, growing to the thickness of a man’s waist. It does 
not, like other fruits, spring from the branches, but issues 
from the body of the tree itself, or immediately from the 
root ; the latter is preferred. Nothing can exceed the gro- 
tesque appearance of the body of the tree when it is stuck 
all over with these immense protuberances, hanging from 
short stalks, which, though exceedingly tough and strong, 
are frequently unable to support their unwieldy burden ; the 
fruit is therefore often obliged to be prevented from falling 
off by being placed in baskets of cane or cocoa-tree leaves, 
which are fixed to the trees, and remain there till the fruit 
is ripe for pulling. 
The external coat of the fruit is extremely thick and 
hard, of a green colour, and full of prickles. The inside of 
this coat is covered with a soft, white, glutinous substance,, 
which, when touched, adheres to the fingers like bird-lime* 
When cut, it distils a milky, ropy kind of gum. The eat- 
able pulp is small when compared to the size of the fruit 
