118 



v/ell for ink^ as its viscositj and the brautiful 

 black it acquires from time, give it all the requi- 

 site qualities, it is also used for tanning leather; 

 but foi' this purp!)se it becomes necessary to pound 

 it, aid the smell it exhales is sa strong, that the 

 workmen can rarely endure it above half an hour 

 at a time. The st-aik contains a white pith of 

 an acidulous taste, which the country people eat 

 in summer,* and the shoe- makers use the wood 

 for their lasts, as they b"iieve it more durable 

 than any other. Another species of t ,e panke 

 (})anke aculis) called in the language of the 

 country dinacio, grows in sandy and moist places ; 

 the root is of the s^apc of a turnip, as large as 

 a man's arm, aiid of a sweetish tasle; it is highly 

 estee ned bv Ihe inhabitants, but produces no kind 

 of iiy'\ This plant is without a >-talk, and puts 

 forth fr )m the root a group of small leaves, 

 ornamented in the cenire with a bouquet of 

 flowers s^imihir to those of the preeedii!*^. 



The Chilians (ibtain a violet colour from the 

 bernes of &evc:al slirub.-; ; lust the cnUi, wijieh 

 I nave mentioned amono," the alimentarv herbs, 



*This plant is refiigcratorv, and a decottioii ct" l!ie leiives 

 is !:i\tai in fevtr.^. The ends of" tin; leaves, strijiped of tlieir 

 j'xU rior coverings are also eaten raw, ami of a s\\eet and verv 

 pleasant taste. Thf dvers make use of the root to obtain a 

 black, bv cutting it into small picrrs, which tliey boil with a 

 ri-rlai:i pciion of black carlli, and the lanners pr."i";are their 

 :;kin.5 by soakia;' tliciii \-\itli it in warra vaten Ftuiile, vol. ii. 



