930 JOURNAL, BOMB A Y NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY,Vol. XV111. 



1 ' i 





Hyphaene thebaica Mart. Hyphaene indica Becc. 



Hyphaene palms are economic. The leaves of younger plants are eaten by 

 camels. The old leaves are put to many minor uses. The trunk is used for 

 making water conduits, and it is possible that it might contain a little sago 

 in just the same measure as the common Indian fan palm, enough to make 

 it a famine food. At Danakil toddy is drawn from the young flower spikes 

 of one species. The outer part of the fruit is generally sweetish and edible 

 so that Baillon picked up the name of " palmier pain d'epice " for H. the- 

 baica. The outer part of the fruit of H. dankaliensis smells like molasses, 

 but the chief use of the palm is for the manufacture of buttons from the 

 hard inner fruit-wall. 



I. HENRY BURKILL. 



Calcutta, September 1908. 



No. XXXIV.— SCIENTIFIC NOMENCLATURE, A PLEA 

 FOR UNIFORMITY. 



I notice in the April issue of the Society's Journal (Vol. XVIII, No. 2, page 

 50f>) that Major Wall in the course of some of his fascinating notes has 

 occasion to refer to " Lygosoma indica " (sic). 



