ished from those of the coast by
having only from four to six seeds; whereas on the coast they are found
with from twenty-five to thirty. The question as to what the taste of
this fruit may be compared with, I can only answer by saying, that it is
incomparable. Both the fruit and flowers of the Chirimoya emit a fine
fragrance, which, when the tree is covered with blossom, is so strong as
to be almost overpowering. The tree which bears this finest of all
fruits is from fifteen to twenty feet high. It has a broad flat top, and
is of a pale-green color.

The Palta (_Persea gatissima_, Gaert.) is a fruit of the pear form, and
dark-brown in color. The rind is tough and elastic, but not very thick.
The edible substance, which is soft and green, encloses a kernel
resembling a chestnut in form and color. This fruit is very astringent
and bitter, and on being cut, a juice flows from it which is at first
yellow, but soon turns black. The taste is peculiar, and at first not
agreeable to a foreigner; but it is generally much liked when the palate
becomes accustomed to it. The fruit of the Palta dissolves like butter
on the tongue, and hence it is called in some of the French colonies
_beurre vegetale_. It is sometimes eaten without any accompaniment, and
sometimes with a little salt, or with oil and vinegar. The kernels make
very good brandy. The Palta-tree is slender and very high, with a small
dome-like top. On the eastern declivity of the Andes, I have seen some
of these trees more than sixty feet high.

The Platanos (_Bananas_) thrive well in most of the Peruvian
plantations. They require great heat and humidity. They grow in the
greatest perfection on the banks of small rivulets. On the coast the
tree does not yield such abundance of fruit as in the woody regions,
where it is not unusual to see a tree with three hundred heads of fruit
lying one over another, like tiles on a roof. In the country adjacent to
Lima, and also on other parts of the coast, three favorite species are
cultivated. The _Platano de la Isla_, or of Otaheite, was introduced
from that archipelago in 1769. The fruits are from three to four inches
long, generally prismatic, as they grow thickly on the stem, and lie one
over another. The skin is yellow, the fruit of a palish red, and rather
mealy. The Limenos prefer this to any other species of the platano, and
they consider it the most wholesome. The fruits of the _Platano Guineo_
are not longer, but much thi