NATURAL HISTORY. 



583 



felled, by which a hii-ge portion 

 of the juice is disi'ii^iigeil, the 

 effluvia of whicli, mixiiiji,- with the 

 atmosphere, affects the pei'soiis 

 exposed to it, with the symptoms 

 just mentioned, tlie tree m:iy be 

 approached and ascended like the 

 other conunon trees in the lo- 

 rests . 



The Antsliar, like the trees in 

 its neighbourhood, is on all sides 

 surrounded by shrubs and plants ; 

 in no instance have I obsel•^■ed 

 tlie ground naked or ban-en in its 

 immediate circumference . 



The largest tice I met with in 

 Blambangan was so closely en- 

 vironed by the common trees and 

 shrubs of the forest in which it 

 grew, that it was with didiculty I 

 could approacli it. Several vines 

 and climbing shrubs, in complete 

 health and vigour, adhered to it, 

 and ascended to nearly halt' its 

 height. And at the time 1 visited 

 the tree and collected tlie juice, I 

 was forcibly struck with tlie 

 egregious misrepresentation of 

 Foersch. Several young trees 

 spontaneously sprung from seeds 

 that had fallen from the ])arent, 

 reminded me of a line in Dar- 

 win's Botanic Garden, " Chained 

 at his root two scion demons 

 dwell;" — while in recalling his 

 beautiful description of the Oopas, 

 my vicinity to the tree gave mc 

 reason to rejoice that it is founded 

 on fiction. 'I'he wocjd of the 

 Antshar is white, light, and of a 

 spongy appearance. 



Description of the Tschettik. 



The fructification of the Tshet- 

 tik is still uidinown ; after all 

 possible rei^earch in the <listrict 

 where it grows, I have not been 

 able to find it in a flowering 



state. It is a large v/inding 

 shrub. 



Tiie root extends creeping to a 

 considerable distance, parallel to 

 the surface of the earth, sending 

 off small lil)reb at dilfe;-entcm'ves, 

 while the main I'oot strikes per- 

 pendicidaily into the ground. 



In large individuals it has a 

 diameter of two or three inches ; 

 it is covered with a reddish brown 

 bark, containing a juice of the 

 same colour, of a peculiar, pun- 

 gent, and somewhat nauseous 

 odcmr. From this b;uk the poison 

 is prepared. 



The stem, wdiich in general is 

 shrubby, sometimes acipiires the 

 siz? of a small tree ; it is very 

 iiTcgular in its ascent and distri- 

 bution: luuinguiade severallai'ge 

 ijends near the surface of the 

 earth it divides (at long inter\als) 

 into numeions branches, whicli 

 attach themselves to the neigh- 

 bouring objects and j)ursue a 

 winding coui'se at no gi'eat dis- 

 tance from the ground and nearly 

 parallel to it. In some instances 

 the stem rises to the top of large 

 trees ; its foini is completely cy- 

 lindrical, ;uul it is covered with a 

 gi-ey sj)otted bark. 



The lesser branches arise from 

 the stem in piurs (opposite) and 

 are vei'y long, slender, cylindricil, 

 divergent or spreading, and co- 

 veied with a smooth grey shining 

 bark ; on these the leaves are 

 |)lace(l opposite, in single pairs 

 or on a common footstalk, pin- 

 nate in two or thiee pairs ; they 

 are egged, spear-shaped, entire, 

 terminating in a long narrow 

 point, completely smooth and 

 sinning on tlie up]icr siuface, 

 Avith a few parallel veins beneath. 

 Tlie petioles are short and some- 



wliat 



