New Jerfey, Raccoon. 99 



they dug up the roots, and confumed 

 them with great avidity. Thefe roots, 

 when prepared iri this manner, I am told, 

 tafte like potatoes. The Indians never dry 

 and preferve them 3 but always take them 

 frefh out of the marfhes, when they want 

 them. This 'faw-ho is the Arum Virgini- 

 cum, of Virginian Wake-robin. It is re- 

 markable, that the Arums, with the plants 

 next akin to them, are eaten by men in 

 different parts of the world, though their 

 roots, when faw, have a fiery pungent tafte, 

 and are almoft poifonous in that ftate. 

 How can men have learnt, that plants fo 

 extremely dppofite to our nature were eata- 

 ble ; and that their poifon, which burns on 

 the tongue, can be conquered by fire. Thus 

 the root of the Calla palujlris, which grows 

 in the north of Europe, is fometimes dfed 

 in (lead of bread on an exigency. The 

 North American Indians confume this fpecies 

 of Arum. Thofe of South America, and of 

 the Weft Indies, eat other fpeeies of Arums. 

 The Hottentots, at the Cape of Good Hope, 

 in Africa, prepare bread from a ipecies 

 of Arum cr Wake-robin^ which is as 

 burning and poifonous as the other fpe- 

 cies of this plant. In the lame manner, 

 they employ the roots of fome kinds of 

 Arum as a food, in F^gypt and Afui. Pro- 

 G 2 bablv, 



