THE TRUE TINES. 269 



Scales thick, blunt, much recurved, and spiny at the points. 

 Seeds nearly an inch long, cylindrical, almost wingless, 

 pointed at both ends, of a dark brown colour, and 

 agreeable to eat. 



A tree growing 50 feet high, with a compact head, found in 

 great abundance, forming large forests on the northern side of 

 the snowy range of mountains in Kunawur, beyond the in- 

 fluence of the periodical rains, where it grows in very dry, 

 rocky ground ; and according to Major Madden, its manner of 

 growth differs from that of any of the other pines of India. 

 Its trunk is of large girth, but scarcely exceeding 50 feet in 

 height, furnished with numerous horizontal branches, nearly to 

 the ground, the upper ones forming a large, compact, conical 

 head. It is also found to the North of Cashmere, and on the 

 Astor Mountains in Little Thibet. The mountains near Nijrow, 

 in the Kohistan of Cabul, are also covered with the Chilghosa 

 Pine. Captain Gerard states its highest limits on the inner 

 Himalayas to be from 10,000 to 12,000 feet of elevation. The 

 exterior bark is of a silvery gray, falling off in large flakes, and 

 never transforms itself into the rough outer coating like the 

 other pines. It is called " Rhee" or " Ree" in Kunawur, 

 " Shungtee" by the Thibetans, and " Sonoubar Sukkar" (sweet 

 pine nut) by the Persians and Arabs. 



The Shipkees in Thibet call this pine "Kuminche" and 

 " Sunoubur-Sughar" (lesser sweet-nut pine), an apt name 

 enough, for the tree seldom grows more than 50 feet high. 

 Mr. Winterbottom found it as far north as Gilgit ; but neither 

 Drs. Hooker nor Griffith ever seem to have discovered it 

 in a native state either in Eastern Nepal or Sikkim ; and Capt. 

 Gerard states its highest altitude on the southern exposures of 

 the inner Himalayas to be from 10,850 to 12,300 feet, generally 

 associated with Cedrus Deodora. Dr. Griffith found it in 

 Affghanistan occurring on the outer ranges, indicating exemp- 

 tion from the periodical rains. It is styled by Europeans 

 " the edible pine-nut ;" the seeds being nearly an inch long s 

 very sweet, and said to possess many good qualities, amongst 



