ULLOA*S VOYAGE TO SOUTH AMERICA. 343 



but neither in fuch plenty, nor fo fucculent. Palm-wine is aifo extra6;ed from all the 

 four; but that from the palma-real and corozo is much the beft. The manner of 

 making it, is either by cutting down the palm-tree, or boring a hole in the trunk, in 

 which is placed a tap, with a veflel under it for receiving the liquor, which, after five 

 or fix days fermentation, becomes fit for drinking. The colour of it is whitifh j the 

 tafte racy : it bears a greater head than beer, and is of a very inebriating quality. The 

 natives, however, reckon it cooling, and it is the favourite liquor of the Indians and 

 Negroes. The guaiacum and ebony trees are equally common j and their hardnefs 

 almoft equal to that of iron. Thefe fpecies of wood are fometimes carried into Spain, 

 where they are greatly efleemed, but here they are difregarded from their great 

 plenty. 



Among the variety of vegetables, which grow under the fhade of the trees, and along 

 the funny borders of the woods, the moft common is the fenfitive ; on touching one of 

 the leaves of which, all thofe on the fame branch immediately clofe againft each other. 

 After a fhort interval, they begin gradually to open and feparate from each other, till 

 they are entirely expanded. The fenfitive is a fmall plant about a foot and a half or 

 two feet in height, with a flender flem, and the branches proportionally weak and ten- 

 der. The leaves are long, and ftand fo clofe together, that all on one branch may be 

 confidered as a fingle leaf, four or five inches in length, and ten lines in breadth ; 

 which, being fubdivided into the other flill fmaller, forms in each of them the true 

 leaf, which is about four or five Hnes in length, and not quite one in breadth. On 

 touching one of thefe fmall leaves, all of them immediately quit their horizontal pofi- 

 rion, and fly into a perpendicular diredion, clofing their inward fuperficies, fo that 

 thofe, which before this fenfitive motion made two leaves, now feem as but one. The 

 vulgar name of this plant at Carthagena being improper to be mentioned here, we fhall 

 omit it ; in other parts it is more decently called La Vergonoza, the bafhful, and La 

 Don9ella, the maiden. The common people imagine that this effe£l: is caufed by pro- 

 nouncing its name at the inflant of the touch ; and are amazed that a plant fhould have 

 the wifdom of jfhewing its obedience to what was ordered, or that it was too much 

 affeded by the injury offered it to conceal its refentment. 



We afterwards met with this plant at Guayaquil, where the climate feems to be 

 better adapted to it than that of Carthagena ; for it is not only more common, but grows 

 to three or four feet in height, the leaves and every part in proportion. 



In the woods about Carthagena are found a great quantity of bejucos of a difi'erent 

 magnitude, figure, and colour, and fome of the ftems flat. One fpecies is particularly 

 known on account of its fruit called Habilla de Carthagena, the bean of Carthagena. 

 It is about an inch broad, and nine lines in length, flat, and in the Ihape of a heart. 

 The ftiell, though thin, is hard, and on the outfide fcabrous. It contains a kernel 

 refembling an almond, but lefs white, and extremely bitter. This is one of the mofl 

 eife6lual antidotes known in that country againft the bites of vipers and ferpents ; for a 

 little of it being eaten immediately after the bite, it prefently ftops the eftedts of the 

 poifon ; and accordingly all who frequent the woods, either for felling trees or hunting, 

 never fail to eat a little of this habilla fafting, and repair to their work without any 

 apprehenfion. I was informed by an European, who was a famous hunter, and by 

 feveral other perfons worthy of credit, that, with this precaution, if any one happened 

 to be bit by a ferpent, it was attended with no ill confequence. The natives tell you, 

 that, this habilla being hot in the higheft degree, much of it cannot be eaten ; that the 

 common dofe of it is lefs than the fourth part of a kernel, and that no hot liquor, as 

 wine, brandy, &c. muft be drunk immediately after taking it. In this cafe, they 



9 doubtlefe 



