Oak-Galls 369 



Zah-baluf ("the edible chestnut," Castanea vulgaris), which appears in 

 the Bundahisn (above, p. 193), as correctly identified by Hirth; but 

 fH M. p'u-lu and pa-lii of the Yu yan tsa tsu (see above) would indicate 

 that the Chinese heard bulu and balu without a final *, and such forms 

 may have existed in Middle-Persian dialects. In fact, we have this 

 type in the dialect of the Kurd in the form berru, and in certain Kurd 

 dialects baril and barru. 1 



1 Cf. J. de Morgan, Mission scientifique en Perse, Vol. V, p. 133. The Iranian 

 term means literally "acorn of the Shah, royal acorn," somehow a certain analogy 

 to Greek Aiis /SdXawrc ("acorn of Zeus"). The origin of Greek Kaar&vaiov or 

 K&<rTavov is sought in Armenian kask ("chestnut") and kaskeni ("chestnut-tree"; 

 see Schrader in Hehn, Kulturpflanzen, p. 402). According to the Armenian Geog. 

 raphy of Moses of Khorene, the tree flourished in the Old-Armenian provinc e 

 Duruperan (Daron); according to Galenus, near Sardes in Asia Minor; according to 

 Daud, on Cyprus; according to Abu Mansur, also in Syria; while, according to the 

 same author, Persia imported chestnuts from Adherbeijan and Arran; according to 

 Schlimmer, from Russia (E. Seidel, Mechithar, p. 152). It is striking that the 

 Chinese did not see the identity of the Iranian term with their /*' JJJi the common 

 chestnut, several varieties of which grow in China. 



