THE ISLAND OF CEYLON. 
32 7 
ture as to defy either the sun or the monsoon, it affords a 
shelter even more secure than their huts. During the violent 
rains it is not unusual to see the natives prop up one end 
of a talipot leaf with a stick two or three feet long, and 
then creep under it for protection. I have already de- 
scribed the manner in which the natives make use of this 
leaf for writing. 
The banyan tree, or, as it is frequently called, the In- 
dian fig-tree , is a native of Ceylon. It bears no fruit nor 
blossom, but grows to an immense size, and has some 
striking peculiarities in its appearance. It first rises to a 
great height in the air, and then drops its branches down- 
wards. A vast number of roots are then observed to shoot 
forth from the lower extremities of the branches, where 
they continue suspended like icicles, till they at last fasten 
themselves in the earth. From these roots new shoots 
spring up, which in their turn become trees, and strike 
their branches into the ground. A whole grove is thus 
formed from one original stock ; and the arches formed by the 
branches and the numerous interwoven shoots, come in time 
to have actually the appearance of grottos and excavations. 
The circumference of the grove arising from one stock has 
frequently been known to extend to several hundred feet. 
It is no wonder that the admirable shelter afforded by this 
noble tree should have pointed it out to the particular vene- 
ration of the inhabitants of the torrid zone. Indeed without 
the assistance of its impenetrable shade, it is almost impos- 
