Discussion on the Origin of Varieties. 229 



sinense (Lemon manis Tsjina], evidently introduced 

 from China. Both the picture and the description of 

 this orange agree entirely with the suntara orange of 

 India,* and in the days of Rumphius this suntara 

 orange was found in almost all these Oriental islands, 

 from Java, Celebes, and the Moluccas to Amboina." 

 In the latter place this orange was called massussii. 



We have here, I think, something tangible to go 

 by. The community of the generic name usoh, iissi, 

 or usse, to the Khasia hills and the Malay archi- 

 pelago, would appear to indicate that it either came to 

 both these places from a common source, or that one 

 place got it from the other, probably by way of the 

 Malay peninsula. In the Archipelago it w r as consi- 

 dered as a Chinese orange. 



The only legend that Mr. Stevenson has been able 

 to get hold of is, that this suntara orange was brought 

 by Hanuman, a general of Rama. This story would, 

 perhaps, fit in with the great invasion of Shans into 

 the Brahmapootra valley. 



As to the rest, I have only suggestions to make. 

 If its introduction in the N.E. border of India w r as 

 effected by the Shans, it may not be impossible that 

 the first part of the name of this orange sun may 

 have some connection with Shan. Then it appears 

 that sim, besides being the Khasi name of an orange, 

 also means Raja the Raja orange (Usoh-sim). Not 

 impossibly, also, this word sim, or modifications of it, 

 may have entered into the formation of the word sun- 

 tara by way of samtereh, or sintra. In those parts, 

 they have another variety called usoh niamtra. This 

 may possibly have given origin to the name rungtra, 

 which, in Delhi, is a synonym of suntra. Rumphius, 

 however, says that in China they had two kinds of 



* Vide?\. 116 A. 



