ce this time,
lansones have been good to eat. All the fruits still bear the marks
of the angel's fingers.

Notes.

The lanson (Lansium domesticum) is a small tree of Malaysia,
extensively cultivated for its fruit, which resembles a yellow plum
(from E. Ind. lansa). It is not native to the Philippines, and was
probably introduced into the Islands by the Malays in prehistoric
times. Our story, which I think we must consider not imported, is
based on a fancied etymological connection between lanson and lason
(Tag. for "poison"), and does not appear to be known except to the
Tagalogs of La Laguna province, although in Pampango also the word
lason means "poison." Lason itself is derived from the Malay rachun,
perhaps through the Sulu lachun.

Two other Tagalog versions, both from Laguna province, also show the
influence of Christianity, but vary enough from our story to be worthy
of record here. One, related by Manuel Gallego of San Antonio, Nueva
Ecija, is entitled "The Adam and Eve of the Tagalogs." Mr. Gallego
heard the story from a farmer living in Lubang, La Laguna. It runs
as follows:--

Many hundreds of years ago, when Luzon was still uninhabited, Bathala,
our supreme god, was envious of Laon, the god of the Visayans,
because Laon had many subjects, while Bathala's kingdom was a barren
desert. It was within the power of Bathala to create human beings,
but not food for them; and so he asked for advice from Diwata, the
supreme god of the universe.

Diwata told Bathala that the next day he would send an angel to
earth with seeds to be planted. The promise was fulfilled, and
Bathala scattered the seeds all over Luzon. Within a short time the
island was covered with trees and shrubs, and was then ready for human
habitation. Accordingly Bathala created Adam and Eve, the ancestors of
the Tagalogs. In spite of the fact that they were forbidden to eat the
green fruit of a certain plant, they disobeyed and ate it; so, as a
punishment, they were poisoned and made very sick. They did not die,
however. As a result of their experience, they gave the name lason
("poison") to this plant. Conscious of their fault, Adam and Eve
implored forgiveness of Diwata. By order of Diwata, Bathala forgave
the criminals; but the lason still remained poisonous. In order to
rid it of its dangerous properties, an angel was sent to earth. He
put the marks of his finger-nails on the surface of the pulp of each
lason-seed, and these marks may