234 



ISLAND OF CEYLON. 



fire burfting out of the fmoke. It is therefore in great repute 

 for the making of chefts, and furniture: v/hen ufed as fuel it 

 yields a fcent, grateful as that of the fandal or citron. It is alfo 

 called the Dragon-tree, as it exudes a thick juice, of a blood- 

 red, refembling that which falls from that tree, which has been 

 long famed for that quality. 



Ervthrina. Corallodendron^ ii. tab. 76, a tree quite brilliant with its fear-. 



» let flowers. It grows ufually near the fliores. It is pretended, 



that fuch is the fplendor of the long fpikes, that during the 



flowering feafon they adlually terrify the filli from the coafts 



on which they grow. 



Phaseolus. Vulgaris. Ceylon, and India in general, produce numbers of 



fpecies of kidney-beans. The fpecies jufl mentioned is the 

 fcarlet. The Ph. radiatus and max. are engraven in Rumph. v. 

 tab. 139, and 140. 



DoLicHos. Pruriens, Nai Corann, Fl. Zeyl. N" 539, is remarkable for its 



efFeds. The downy pile on the pods occafions the moft into- 

 lerable itching, far beyond that of the nettle. It is called at 

 Surat, Cohuge-i from which it was corrupted to the Englijh name 

 of Cow-itch ; Ray, vol. i. p. 887, names it Pbafeolus Zurratenfis^ 

 and Cowbege ; and fays it has been proved a mofl efiicacious re- 

 medy in the dropfy. Rumpbius figures it in vol. v. tab. 142, 

 under the title of Cacara Pruritus. It has been fometimes ap- 

 plied for wanton purpofes, to fet people an itching. The au- 

 thor of Hudibras makes it one of the drugs ufed in his days to 

 counterfeit the feats of witches. I fliall give the wliole lift, 

 fince I may have occafion to refer back to it : — 



With 



