138 BURSERACEiE. 



writes thus : — " The gum is procured by making longitudinal incisions 



^ 1 the bark in the months o£ May and December, when the 

 cuticle glistens with intumescence from the distended state of the parts 

 beneath ; the operation is simple, and requires no skill on the part of 

 the operator. On its first appearance the gum comes forth white as 

 milk, and according to its degree of fluidity, finds its way to the 

 ground, or concretes on the branch near the place from w^hich it first 

 issued, from whence it is collected by men and boys employed to look 

 after the trees by the different families wdro possess the land m which 

 they grow." According to Captain 

 the people of the country, but by Somalis who cross in numbers from 

 the opposite coast, paying the Arab tribes for the privilege. The 

 Arabian Luhdn, he says, is considered inferior to the African. 



It would even appear that the collection of the drug has ceased in 

 Arabia, and that the names of Luban Maheri or Mascati or Sheehaz, 

 referring to the coast of Arabia between Ras Fartak (52°10'E.) and 

 Ra« Morbas (54° 34') are now^ applied to the olibanum brought there 

 from the opposite African coast.^ Hildebrandt 



Miles 



(letter 



ftained at Aden, that all 



the frankincense imported in Aden comes from Africa. 



Description— Olibanum as found in commerce varies rather con- 

 siderably in quality and appearance. It may in general terms be 

 described as a dry gum-resin, consisting of detached tears up to an 

 mph in length, of globular, pear-shaped, clavate, or stalactitic form, 

 mixed with more or less irregular lumps of the same size. Some oi 

 the longer tears are slightly agglutinated, but most are distinct., I^e 

 predominant forms are rounded,— angular fragments being less tre- 

 quent, though the tears are not seldom fissured. Small pieces ot tlie 

 translucent brown papery bark are often found adliering to the m 



pieces, 

 district, in 

 large tears. 



as 



Somali Country, is in very 



tine 



The colour of the drug is pale yellowish or brow^nish, but the fint, 

 qualities consist of tears which are nearly colourless or have a greeni^ 

 hue. The smallest grains only are transparent, the rest are tran 

 lucent and somewhat milky, and not transparent even aitei i 

 removal of the white dust with which they are always covereu 

 But if heated to about 94° C, they become almost transpann • 

 When broken they exhibit a rather dull and waxy surface. J^\^ 

 imned under the polarizing microscope no trace of crystaUization ■ 



observable. 



oftens 



an 



"7"-;";"" '^'Ji i^tiiis m me moutJi ; its taste is lerui^n^^-"'" ,,, 

 slightly bitter, but by no means disagreeable. Its odour is pl^a^S 

 aromatic, but is only fully developed when the gum-resin is expo^ 

 nof^^'u''^^^?^^ temperature. At 100° 0. the latter softens ^Mt^? 

 actually fusing, and if the heat be further raised decomposition be^i 



infn^!'^"ii^^l.^°"'P°^^^io^-Cold water quickly changes oliban 

 into a soft whitish pulp, which when rubbed down in a mortar oi 

 an emulsion. Immersed in spirit of wine, a tear of olibanum is 



^ Loc. ciL 



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