NATURAL HISTORY. 



537 



large proportion of the food of the 

 Indians, are the roots of a species 

 of thistle, the fern, the rush, the 

 liquorice, and a small cylindric 

 root, resembling in flavour and 

 consistency the sweet potatoe. 



1st. The thistle, called by the 

 natives shanatanque, is a plant 

 Avhich grows in a deep, rich, dry 

 loam, with a considerable mixture 

 of sand. The stem is simple, 

 ascending, cylindric, and hispid, 

 and rising to the lieight of three 

 or four feet. The cauline life, 

 which, as well as the stem of the 

 last season, is dead, is simple^ 

 crenate,and oblong; rather more 

 obtuse at its apex than at its in- 

 sertion, which is decurrent, and 

 its position declining; whilst the 

 margin is armed with prickles, 

 and its disk is hairy. The flower 

 too is dry and mutilated ; but the 

 pericarp seems much like that of 

 the common thistle. The root- 

 leaves, which still possess their 

 verdure, and are about half 

 grown, are of a pale gi'een 

 colour. The root, however, is the 

 only part used. It is from nine 

 to fifteen inches long, about the 

 size of a man's thumb, perpen- 

 dicular, fusiform, and with from 

 two to four radicles. The rind is 

 of a brown colour, and somewhat 

 rough. When first taken from 

 the earth, it is white, and nearly 

 as crisp as a carrot, and in this 

 state is sometimes eaten without 

 any preparation. But after it is 

 prepared by the same process used 

 for the pascheco qnamash, which 

 is the most usual and the best 

 method, it becomes black, find 

 much improved in flavour. Its 

 taste is exactly that of sugar, and 

 it is indeed the sweetest vegetable 

 employed by the Indians. After 

 being baked in the kiln, it is 



either eaten simply or with train 

 oil : sometimes pounded fine and 

 mixed with cold water, until it is 

 reduced to the consistence of sa- 

 gamity, or Indian mush, which 

 last method is the most agi'eeable 

 to our palates. 



2. Three species of fern grow 

 in this neighbourhood, but the 

 root of only one is eaten. It is 

 very abundant in those parts of 

 the open lands and prairies which 

 ha\e a deep, loose, rich, black 

 loam, without any sand. There, 

 it attains the height of four or 

 five feet, and is a beautiful plant 

 Avitli a line green colour in sum- 

 mer. The stem, which is smooth, 

 cylindric, and slightly grooved on 

 one side, rises erectly about half 

 its height, when it divides into 

 two branches, or rather long 

 footstalks, which put forth in 

 pairs from one side only, and near 

 the edges of the groove, declining 

 backwards from the grooved side. 

 These footstalks are themselves 

 grooved and cylindric, and- as they 

 gradually taper towards the extre- 

 mities, put forth others of a sm;dlcr 

 size, which are alternate, and have 

 forty or fifty alternate, pinnate, 

 horizontal, and sessile leaves : the 

 leaves are mvdtipartite for half 

 the length of their footstalk, when 

 they assume the tongue-like form 

 altogether ; being, moreover, re- 

 voliitC; with the upper disk smooth, 

 and the lower resembling cotton : 

 tlie top is annual, and therefore 

 dead at present, but it produces 

 no flour or fruit : the root itself 

 is perennial and grows hoiizon- 

 tally : sometimes a little diverg- 

 ing, or obliquely descending, and 

 frequently dividing itself as it. 

 jnoceeds, and shooting up a num- 

 ber of stems. It lies about four 

 inches under the surface of the 



eai'th 



