49 



of Port Darwin as a remedy in cases of small-pox. In the Botanical 

 Magazine, Dr. Hooker, in describing Sarcostemma bnmoniana, an 

 Indian species somewhat similar to the Australian plant, says : 

 1 It abounds in milky acid juice, and is hence eaten by the natives 

 as a salad, and sucked by travellers to allay thirst, thus forming a 

 remarkable exception to the usually poisonous nature of the Ascle- 

 piadeous juices.' A plant (Marsdenia leichardtiand) closely allied to 

 the Sarcostemuia, is figured and described in my work on the 



THE MILK BUSH (Stircodi-iiiina Ausimle, R. Br.) 



4 Indigenous Forage Plants of Australia.' It is called ' Dooba ' by 

 the aborigines, and before they tasted the sweets of civilisation it 

 was of considerable economic value to them. The blacks dig up 

 the roots, roast and eat them, and they also roast the young fruits, 

 the seeds of which are considered a delicacy. All parts of the 

 Marsdenia abound in a viscid, milky fluid of pleasant taste. It is a 

 capital forage plant, and both sheep and cattle eat the young shoots 

 with avidity, and they seem to thrive on them. 



