ON VERNACULAR NAMES. 333 
those of V. Chontalensis, whilst the leaves are much more handsome, 
rendering it a highly ornamental plant. This species is also in Mr. 
Bull’s possession, 
ON VERNACULAR NAMES. 
Mr. James Collins, in his * Notes on some new or little-known 
Vegetable Products” (‘ Pharmaceutical Journal,’ August, 1869), in 
speaking of the East Indian “ Nag-kassar,” and after stating that the 
name is spelt in various ways, and applied to several distinct plants, 
says,— 
“This is a good illustration of the value to be set on native 
c 
chemist, or traveller, by simply asking the native name, would instantly 
have the scientific appellation, and that they are less fallible than 
generally supposed, —yet it is not sufficient to find in any book, how- 
ever high an authority it may be, the native name appended to a sci- 
entific one, to identify them ; it is only a means to an end, not the 
end of inquiry itself. Native names are exceedingly valuable, but are 
frequently misapplied by traders and others, and they point out generic 
affinities rather than specific distinctions." 
Now, I am sorry that I cannot agree with Mr. Collins that “ Nag- 
kassar " is a good illustration of the value to be set on native names ; 
on the contrary, I hold that it is quidam one. It seems to be a 
general term for the products of certain plants yielding a yellowish 
dye;t and it would be just as reasonable to say that our collective 
term “Corn” is a proof of the slight value to be attached to 
vernacular names of plants, because it embraces the products of 
cereals belonging to widely separated genera. It is certainly o£ a 
characteristic of genuine native names that they have a collective 
meaning, or, as Mr. Collins puts it, ** point out generic affinities rather 
‘than specific distinctions.” On the contrary, any one who will take 
the trouble to examine lists of names used by unscientific peoples or 
* ‘Popular Nomenclature of the American Flora.’ Hanover. 1851. 
f Sauerwein, in ‘Bonplandia.’ 1856, p. 300. Article “ Nag-kassar.” 
