458 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1S99. 



in periods long- since past, adorned the forests of that continent, but 

 which are at present either totally extinct or exist only in a dwarfed 

 posterity." The g-um, which is called by the Bunda negroes Ocate 

 Cocoto, or Mucocoto, is found in the hilly or mountainous districts all 

 along the coast of Angola, including the districts of Congo and Ben- 

 guella, and is brought by the natives to the different market places on 

 the coast of Angola, including the districts of Congo and Benguella. 

 The larger quantities of the resin are mostly found in the sandy soil 

 and it is apparentl}^ limited in its geographical distribution with that of 

 the tree Adansonia dlgJtata, the lands in the Government of Benguella 

 extending along the mountain terrace of Amboin, Selles, and Muco- 

 bale, south of the Cuanza River being most productive, having yielded 

 between 1850 and 1860 some 1,600,000 pounds of gum a year. 



It is a general and widely spread opinion [writes Welwitsch] that the gum copal 

 in Angola is gathered from trees; but this, according to my own observation, is obvi- 

 ously erroneous; for the gum copal is either dug out of the loose strata of sand, 

 marl, or clay, or else it is found in isolated pieces washed out and brought to the 

 surface of the soil by heavy rainfalls, earth-falls, or gales; and such pieces, where 

 found, induce the negroes to dig for larger quantities in the adjacent spots. This 

 digging after larger quantities is, as may be supposed, often very successful; but 

 sometimes it is less satisfactory, or totally without result, just in the same manner as 

 with people digging for gold. At times numerous larger and smaller pieces of copal 

 are found close to the surface of the sand, or within the depth of a few feet; while 

 in other places, after digging to the depth of 5 to 8 or even 10 or more feet, only 

 single pieces, or sometimes none at all, are brought to light. As soon as a negro has 

 discovered in any spot one or more pieces of copal, he hastens to his relations and 

 to his commercial friends, telling them of his fortunate treasure-trove, showing what 

 he has found, and concludes with them a kind of treaty of partnership whereby he 

 becomes entitled to the larger share in the probable gains. The members of this 

 partnership then provide themselves with digging implements, including large sacks, 

 mostly made of the bark of the Adansonia or Raphia leaves, and they then proceed 

 to the indicated spot to commence researches. As is natural, such a spot and its 

 neighborhood are not left until the diggers have convinced themselves that they have 

 completely exhausted the district, or that no more gum copal is to be found beyond 

 the first indicating pieces. In the latter case it is supposed that the first pieces met 

 with were washed down from afar, and further researches are then made accord- 

 ingly. 



If, after prolonged researches in the same district, no more gum copal is found, the 

 diggers leave that place; the secured resin is cleaned by washing and packed in 

 sacks, to be ready for sale in the markets on the coast. Different varieties of unequal 

 value being often obtained on the same spot, the resin, when brought to market, has 

 to be sorted before being sold. It is classified mostly according to its color; and the 

 price is determined by weight. The deep-colored quality is generally worth double 

 the price of the lighter sort. The shape in which the gum is found is quite variable; 

 it often has the form of an egg, a ball, or a drop, at other times it looks like a flat, 

 pressed cake, and it is also met with in sharp-canted pieces. The pieces vary as 

 much in size as in shape; they are rarely larger than a hen's egg, and there are 

 many much smaller, others (which, however, seldom occur) are as big as a man's 

 fist, or even a child's head, weighing 3 to 4 pounds and more. All the pieces of 

 different shape and size have one common characteristic, namely, that on their sur- 



