ELEPHANT GRASS. 277 



under the general term of " elephant grass. " * These 

 grass jungles often figure in pictures of tiger-shooting, 

 and other Indian sports, as under shelter of their dense 

 and matted thickets, tigers and other heavy game 

 make their lairs during the hot season. Mr. Sander- 

 son, for instance, in his interesting work on Indian 

 jungle sports, frequently mentions their almost impas- 

 sable nature, and says they form immense coverts in 

 the jungles of Mysore and other parts of Southern 

 India; and he states that among other rank jungle 

 grasses, he has seen the well-known Lemon grass of 

 Ceylon, growing in places to a height of eighteen 

 feet, f This valuable grass (A.ndropogon Schcenanth^^,s) 

 emits when crushed a strong scent of lemon ; it grows 

 in immense quantities in the highlands of Ceylon, as 

 well as in Southern India; but its height in general 

 does not exceed some seven or eight feet. Lemon 

 grass when young forms a most valuable pasture 

 for all kinds of cattle; but when old, like most of 

 the other large growing grasses, it becomes exceedingly 

 hard and wiry; its leaves will cut the hand like 

 razors, if rudely grasped, and its stems more resemble 

 branches of small trees or shrubs than grasses. Hence 

 the term Arborescent Grasses. A strongly scented 

 essential oil is distilled from its leaves, known in com- 

 merce as " Citronelle Oil " ; in which a considerable 

 trade is carried on. 



* The true elephant grass of India is Typha Elephantina, which 

 grows along the banks of rivers, and whose roots penetrate to a great 

 depth (often 9 feet) into the ground. (See The Imperial Gazetteer 

 of India, by Sir W. W. Hunter, Vol. vii, p. 14). 



f Thirteen Years among the Wild Beasts of India, by G. P. 

 Sanderson, 2nd edit. 1879, p. 37. 



The Commercial Products of the Vegetable Kingdom, by P. L. 

 Simmonds, 1854, p. 572. 



