CiiAr. II. COW-TREE. 69 



of the roots in the earth is rendered difficult by the 

 multitude of competitors. 



The other grand forest trees whose native names we 

 learnt, were the Moira-tinga (the White or King-tree), 

 probably the same as, or allied to, the Mora excelsa, 

 which Sir Robert Schomburgk discovered in British 

 Guiana ; the Samaiima (Eriodendron Samauma) and 

 the Massaranduba, or Cow-tree. The last-mentioned is 

 the most remarkable. We had already heard a good deal 

 about this tree, and about its producing from its bark a 

 copious supply of milk as pleasant to drink as that of 

 the cow. We had also eaten its fruit in Para, where it 

 is sold in the streets by negro market women ; and had 

 heard a good deal of the durableness in water of its 

 timber. We were glad, therefore, to see this wonderful 

 tree growing in its native wilds. It is one of the 

 largest of the forest monarchs, and is peculiar in appear- 

 ance on account of its deeply-scored reddish and ragged 

 bark. A decoction of the bark, I was told, is used as a 

 red dye for cloth. A few days afterwards we tasted its 

 milk, which was drawn from dry logs that had been 

 standing many days in the hot sun, at the saw-mills. 

 It was pleasant with coffee, but had a slight rankness 

 when drunk pure ; it soon thickens to a glue, which is 

 excessively tenacious, and is often used to cement 

 broken crockery. I was told that it was not safe to 

 drink much of it, for a slave had recently nearly lost 

 his life through taking it too freely. 



In some parts of the road ferns were conspicuous 

 objects. But I aftei^wards found them much more 

 numerous on the Maranham-road, especially in one 



