The Devil Tree

The devil, dragon or octopus tree, as it is variously called in the different stories told of it, is one of those travelers' myths wbich by dint of repetition have worked their way into public belief. The man eating or devil tree is, according to the story, a huge plant soruewhat resembling a palm, save that the central fronds are provided with sharp teeth, which, when the leaves are f olded over toward the center, grasp with a death grip the man or animal unfortunate enough to be inclosed within. In some of the stories this tree is also provided with long arms, which reach out and seize uuwary travelers, raise their bodies in the air and drop them into the center of the circle of devouring leaves. It is hardly necessary to say that there is no such tree and that the story has its origin in the dangers of traversing a tropical thicket, where travelers have received serious injuries from falling over vines and among thorny plan ts, where men are frequently attacked and killed by serpents. The devil tree is located by various story tellers in Borneo, in Sumatra and in the forest recesses of other tropical islands, and whenever inquiry is made for it it is to be found