I'UUFACfc. 



article, the reader wiil learn at a glance, that they are 

 different names given by different writers to the same 

 plant. Thus it will be seen that our common barking- 

 deer lies scattered over the pages of natural history under 

 twelve different names, and without the synonymes it 

 might be taken for twelve different species. In like man- 

 ner, when objects have several native names, as they often 

 have, I give all that I have heard. 



Still the investigator will not always obtain at once 

 the object he seeks from the native name ; and this is a 

 difficulty which no author can obviate, as it exists in the 

 language. Different objects sometimes have the same 

 name, as for instance, the goat-sucker and the snipe. 

 The Burmese call both rayc-wote* from their habit of 

 dwelling on the earth. Sometimes a slight distinction is 

 supposed to exist between different things, which is not 

 always observed. The Amherstia and the Jonesia are 

 both athauka trees, but the Amherstia is regarded as the 

 female, and the Jonesia as the male tree, which is there- 

 fore denominated athauka-phoA So the male of the 

 fagraea, is the gordonia, or anan-plio.% The same object is 

 often known by different names. Our knowledge of the 

 existence of platina in Burmah was first furnished by 

 Mr. Lane, who said the Burmese called it sheen-than, but 

 in his Dictionary he defines it shwe-phu s § or white gold. 

 Some persons make distinctions which others neglect. 

 The water-lily and the nelumbium are both call kya ;|| or 

 the kya is restricted to the water-lilies, aud the nelumbi- 

 um called pa-dung-ma.^ Add to which, for many ob- 

 scure species in every department of the natural kingdom, 

 the natives have no definite names, on which they can 

 agree among themselves. 



* cgooS" f 03GOo5o^oSfl 



fao^oSu and not 3Q^y« as printed by mistake 

 on page 70. 



2 



