526 PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. [Idtiu. 



soluble iu water (aporetin). This root coDtains also a considerable pro- 

 portion of starch. 



Mexicans use an infusion of the mashed tubers for tanniug. The 

 skins, after being dried, are simply placed in vats full of this infusion. 

 A. reddish color is at the same time imparted to the leather. 



The foliage is intensely bitter and astringent so that it i^robably 

 also contains tannin. 



Eriogonum. 



Several s])ecies of Eriogonum grow abundantly on the slopes and 

 foot hills of Western Texas. It is probable that the roots of some of 

 them contain tannin. The long, tapering roots of E. longifolium are 

 very astringent to the taste, probably owing to the presence of this 

 acid. 



Calophanes linearis, Gray. 



An inconspicuous member of the Acanthus Family, common herb on 

 dry prairies, with opposite, narrow leaves one to two inches long, and 

 showy purple axillary tiowers leaving after them the persistent calyx with 

 long, hispid sepals. This is the Snake-Plant of Northern Coahuila and 

 the Lower Rio Grande. 



The plant, root and all, is bruised or pounded with a little water, or 

 partly chewed in the mouth, and applied to the bite without any further 

 preparation. At the same tine it should also be eaten, or, still better, 

 an infusion of it administered internally, ad libitum. It is tasteless 

 and to all appearances devoid of active properties. In the Mexican 

 colonial troops stationed along the river, every man carries, by orders, 

 a small package of this plant in his pocket, and the officers are most 

 emphatic in their assurances of its efficacy. I have heard of a man in 

 one of the interior towns of Coahuila who will cause himself to be 

 bitten by a rattlesnake for a dollar, if allowed to use this antidote. 



In a region where venomous animals are so common It does not seem 

 improbable that nature may have i)rovided vegetable antidotes against 

 their poison. Every Mexican State boasts a certain number of yerbas 

 de la vibora, for the wonderful powers of which everybody seems willing 

 and anxious to vouch. Their very multiplicity, however, makes one 

 seriously doubt the value of any particular one. Whether such natural 

 antidotes exist has not yet been scientifically demonstrated. 



Riviua laevis, L. (Small Poke- Weed.) 



Herb with lignescent base, common in all shady places, producing red 

 berries with a thin, edible pulp. 



Malvaviscus Drummondii, T. & G. (Wild Fnschia.) 



Tall and pretty herb of the Mallow Family, at San Antonio and North- 

 eastward, producing, late in summer, palatable scarlet berries which are 

 eaten raw or cooked. 



