187 
their brandies so far that ten thousand men may easily 
line! shelter under them.” It seems a little uncertain 
whether Virgil, in his enumeration of the most noted 
trees in torrid climes, refers to the banyan in the fol¬ 
lowing passage: — 
M With mighty trunks of trees on Indian shores, 
Whose height above the feather’d arrow soars, 
Shot from the toughest bough.” 
There are thirty-six species of tliis genus, according to 
Miller, some few of which resemble the Ficus Indica in 
their mode of growth, though none rival it either in 
size or dignity. 
The astonishing magnitude of this gigantic tree 
recalls some sweet lines by Montgomery, occasioned by 
the subjoined remarks of Dr. Carey, the Baptist mis¬ 
sionary at Mysore: — “ With great labour I have 
preserved, for six or seven years, the common field 
daisy, which came up accidentally in some English 
earth; but my whole stock now is one plant. The 
proportion of small plants in this country is very in¬ 
considerable, the greater number of our vegetable 
productions being either large shrubs, immense climb¬ 
ers, or timber trees.” The copy of verses alluded to 
