SALICINE.E. CASl'ARIXEJ-:. 257 



One is not, of course, nnder the necessity of belicviup; such a legend ;is the above 

 or any siinihir U'geud, Christiuu or I'agan, to appreciate the sweetness and beauty of 

 the idea often enshrined therein. The lines of Juvenal on this subject are worth 

 considering — 



" Esse alic^uid ilanes et subterranoa regna, 

 Et centum ct Stygio ranas in gurgite nigras, 

 Atque una transire va<luui tot millia cymba, 

 Nee pueri credunt, nisi qui nondum sere lavantur. 

 Sed tu vera puta." — Satire ii. 1. 149. 



Now are we to suppose that Juvenal wished his readers to retrograde in intelligence 

 and believe such fables as that of Chiron and his boat, or the black frogs swimming 

 in the rivers of hell (])rototypes of the worm which dieth not), which even children 

 had ceased to believe in, and with which may be classed such legends as that of the 

 weeping willow and innumerable others of the same sort ? Hardly ; but rather the 

 intention is to argue that our emancipation from the fetters of a more superstitious 

 and ci'edulous ago should not be followed by a laxity of life, which would have been 

 condemned by our less gifted ancestors, and that, from self-respect, we should not 

 allow it to be possible tor the lives of us, who do not believe these fables, to be 

 unfavourably contrasted with theirs who did ; else, where, indeiid, is our boasted 

 enlightenment, and what is the advantage of our mental superiority, if its only result 

 to ourselves is moral degradation ! 



Order CASUAIIINE.E. 



Flowers monoecious in catkins. Mule catkins terete, elongate or short, the flowers 

 2-bracteoled, sessile, in the axil of the toothed sheaths. Piriaiitlt 2-partite, the 

 segments decussate with the braetlets, and cohering at their tips, deciduous. Stami'n 1. 

 Filament exserted and tliickened at the base. Anthers 2-celled, the cells opening 

 longitudinally. Female catkins usually axillary, globular or ellipsoid, the flowers 

 arranged in several longitudinal rows, 1 -bract ed, and supported by 2 lateral braetlets, 

 both (bracts and braetlets) persistent. Perianth none. Ovary with a single ovule 

 suspended from the summit of the cell. Style terminal, with 2 tiliform stigmas. Ripe 

 cones woody, indurated. Achene inclosed by the enlarged braetlets, which at length 

 open valvately, compressed membranous winged at the apex, containing a solitary 

 pendulous seed. Testa connate with the cudocarp. Allumen none. Finhryo straight, 

 with large flat cotyledons, the radicde minute, su])erior. Trees, rarely shrubs, with 

 numerous horse-tail-like jointed branchlets, toothecl at their joints, but without leaves. 

 Flowers in terminal and lateral catkins, monoecious, but the males and females not 

 appearing at the same time on the same tree. 



A family consisting only of a single genus, of which most of the species are 

 Australian. The timber is hard and heavy, and of the colour of raw beef, whence 

 it is called beef-wood in Australia. 



Casi'arixa, Linnaxs. 

 Characters those of this order. 



C. EQUiSETiFOLlA, Forst. Sandy shores of Arakan and Tenasserim, 



Fallen (Theobald). (Tin-yu, Farz.) Kamorta, Katchall, and Car Nicobar. 



There is but one species in Buriiui, and this is seldom or never felled, though the 

 wood is hard and durabk'. Weiglit 01 lbs. Kurz says its " texture " is like ' toon ' 

 (Thit-kadu 3-1 lbs.), which is true to the extent to which chalk resembles cheese in 

 texture, but no farther. Kurz is also, in my opinion, in error regarding its vernacular 

 name, as I have commonly found it called ' I'allen.' In appearance the wood is more 

 comparable with ' pyngado ' or 'jio,' though coarser than either. It is a wood bigldy 

 deserving of trial as a sleeper wood. Dr. ifason recommends it as an ornamental free 

 for a park, and it certainly makes a handsome avenue tree, but it is an uni)leasant 

 neighbour near a house, fi-om the melancholy ' soughing ' the wind makes through 



VOL. II. 17 



