244 pfant "bore, Tsegel^^/, cmel "bijne/, 



among the Tartars." After remarking that Zavolha is the most 

 considerable of the Tartar hordes, he proceeds : — " In that province 

 they sow a seed not unhke the seed of a Melon, except that it is not 

 so long. There comes from it a plant which they call Borametz, 

 that is to say, a lamb ; and, indeed, the fruit of that plant has 

 exa(5tly the shape of a lamb. We see distincftly all the exterior 

 parts — the body, the feet, the hoofs, the head, and the ears ; there 

 wants, indeed, nothing but the horns, instead of which it has a sort 

 of wool that imitates them not amiss. The Tartars fleece it, and 

 make themselves caps of the skin. The pulp that is within the 

 fruit is very much like the flesh of crabs. Cut it, and the blood 

 gushes out, as from a wounded animal. This lamb feeds itself upon 

 all the grass that grows around it, and when it has eaten it all up, 

 it dries and dies away. But what perfects the similitude between 

 the Borametz and a lamb is that the wolves are very greedy of this 



fruit, which no other animals ever care for." The elder Darwin, 



in his poem on ' The Loves of the Plants,' makes the following 

 allusion to the Barometz : — 



*' Cradled in snow and fanned by Arctic air, 

 Shines, gentle Barometz ! thy golden hair ; 

 Rooted in earth, each cloven hoof descends, 

 And round and round her flexile neck she bends ; 

 Crops the gray coral Moss and hoary Thyme, 

 Or laps with rosy tongue the melting rime, 

 Eyes with mute tenderness her distant dam, 

 Or seems to bleat, a vegetable Laf/ib." 



BASIL. — The English name of the Ocynmni basiliciim is derived 

 from the Greek basilikon, royal, probably from its having been used 



in some royal unguent, bath, or medicine. Holy Basil, or Tulasi 



{Ocymuni sanctum), is by the Hindus regarded as a most sacred herb, 

 and they have given one of its names to a sacred grove of their 

 Parnassus, on the banks of the Yamuna. This holy herb is grown 

 in pots near every temple and dwelling of devout Hindus. It is 

 sacred to Vishnu, Kushna, and Lakshmi, but all the gods are 

 interested in it. Narada, the celestial sage, has sung the praises 

 of the immortal plant, which is perfedtion itself, and which, whilst 

 protecSting from every misfortune those who cultivate it, sancftifies 

 and guides them to heaven. For this double sancftity it is reared 

 in every Hindu house, where it is daily watered and worshipped 

 by all the members of the household. Perhaps, also, it was on 

 account of its virtues in disinfecfting and vivifying malarious air 

 that it first became inseparable from Hindu houses in India as the 

 protecting spirit or Lar of the family. The pious Hindus invoke 

 the divine herb for the 'protecftion of every part of the body, for 

 life and for death, and in every acftion of life ; but above all in its 

 capacity of ensuring children to those who desire to have them. 

 Among the appellations given to the Tulasi are — " propitious," 

 " perfumed," " multi-leaved," " devil-destroying," &c. The root is 

 made into beads, which are worn round the neck and arms of the 



