138 DICTIONARY OF POPULAR NAMES COW 



substitute for milk, and has been daily used by Europeans 

 without producing any ill effects. With this knowledge, and 

 impressed with Humboldt's comparing the trees to cows, an 

 Englishman w^as led to entertain the project of introducing and 

 naturalising them in this country, thus conferring a great boon on 

 the people. Accordingly, in 1830, he arrived in England with 

 a great number of young trees — it was said 1000. To his philan- 

 thropic views he added that of profit, and expected that his 

 trees would be eagerly purchased for a guinea each ; but in this 

 he was disappointed, for few were bought, tree-cultivators being 

 aware that a forest tree from Venezuela could only be grown as 

 a curiosity in a hothouse, which circumstance had not been 

 thought of by the speculator ; and further, it was afterwards 

 found that his trees were not true Cow trees, but a species of 

 Achras, as proved by one of the trees grown at Kew. 



2. Taherncemontana iitilis, the Cow tree of British Guiana, 

 where it is called Hya-hya, a large much -branched tree 

 of the Dogbane family (Apocynacese), with simple elliptical 

 leaves. On wounding the stem a copious flow of milky sap 

 issues, of the taste of sweet milk, but rather sticky, consequent 

 on containing some caoutchouc. 



3. Collopliora, a tree of the Dogbane family (Apocynacese), 

 native of the countries of Eio Negro. It attains a height of 

 30 to 35 feet, with a diameter of 12 inches. Its leaves are 

 simple, and, with the branches, grow in verticels of threes ; in 

 the flowering season it is profusely clad with corymbs of red 

 flowers, which are conspicuous in the forest. On the bark being 

 wounded, the milk flows abundantly, and is of the consistency 

 of cow's milk, of the purest w^hite, and sweet to the taste. The 

 Indian mode of taking this milk is to apply the mouth directly 

 to the wound, and thus receive the milk as it flows. Dr. Spruce, 

 the celebrated South American traveller, says — "I have many 

 times partaken of it without experiencing any ill effects." It is 

 however, sHghtly viscid, which shows it to contain a little 

 caoutchouc, and on that account it is considered useful as a 

 medicine in dysentery. The natives caU the trees Cuma. 



