NAECOTIC PLANTS AND STIMULANTS SAFFOED. 409 



of observing an Indian under the influence of this drinls. Shortly after having 

 swallowed the beverage he fell into a heavy stupor; he sat with his eyes 

 vacantly fixed on the ground, his mouth convulsively closed, and his nostrils 

 dilated. In the course of about a quarter of an hour his eyes began to roll, 

 foam issued from his half -opened lips, and his whole body was agitated by 

 frightful convulsions. These violent symptoms having subsided, a profound 

 sleep of several hours succeeded. In the evening I again saw this Indian. He 

 was relating to a circle of attentive listeners the particulars of his vision, dur- 

 ing which he alleged he had held communication with the spirits of his fore- 

 fathers. He appeared very weak and exhausted. 



In former times the Indian sorcerers, when they pretended to transport 

 themselves into the presence of their deities, drank the juice of the thorn- 

 apple in order to work themselves into a state of ecstasy. Though the estab- 

 lishment of Christianity has weaned the Indians from their idolatry, yet it 

 has not banished their old superstitions. They still believe that they can hold 

 communications with the spirits of their ancestors, and that they can obtain 

 from them a clue to the treasures concealed in the huacas, or graves ; hence 

 the Indian name of the thorn-apple — huacacachu, or grave plant. 



Humboldt and Bonpland, who collected Datura sanguinea on the 

 banks of the Rio ]Mayo, in New Granada, state that the natives be- 

 lieve that the tonga prepared from this species to be more efficacious 

 as a narcotic than that made from the white-flowered Datura arborea 

 mentioned above. It is from the account of these travelers that the 

 story of the Peruvian prophets is taken. The Temple of the Sun in 

 which they officiated was at Sagamoza, in the interior of what is now 

 Colombia. Dr. Santiago Cortes, in his account of the medicinal 

 plants of the province of Cauca, Colombia, says that there are many 

 stories and fables relating to this plant told by the natives. 



COCA, THE SOURCE OP COCAINE. 

 (Plates 12 and 13.) 



The most important stimulant of the ancient Peruvians was Ery- 

 throxylon Coca. Specimens of its 3-ribbed leaves were found by the 

 writer in many prehistoric graves along the Peruvian coast, usually 

 in bags suspended from the necks of mummies, or in bundles wrapped 

 in cloth. Some of the coca bags, or pouches, were woven in beautiful 

 and intricate designs (pi. 12), often representing conventional figures 

 of birds, mammals, or fishes. All were accompanied by small gourds 

 (a variety of Cucurhita lagenaria) containing lime, and a spatula by 

 means of which the lime was dipped out. In place of lime, wood- 

 ashes were sometimes used. The use of lime or ashes to set free the 

 alkaloid contained in the leaves recalls the same custom in connec- 

 tion with the betel of Asia, the piptadenia snuff already mentioned, 

 and the " green tobacco " of the Mexicans. That its efficacy should 

 have been independently discovered by the primitive inhabitants of 

 such widely separated regions is remarkable. The lime gourds were not 

 infrequently ornamented, and in those discovered in some localities, 

 especially at Arica, on the coast of northern Chile, the spatula3 were 



