. [ 173 ] 

 Agaveae (also certain other fibre plants) or to their products. 



Bulletin, 

 page 



,26,71 



REMAHKS 



69 



10,71 



10, 7J 



20 



10, 71 



The drawing and description of this ' Metl ' answer well to our 

 Agave (J), which has not apparently been described from America 

 by any recent author : but this is hardly surprising, as the 

 country about Mazatlan where Hernandez says it was found in 

 warm places is comparatively little visited. He says others call 

 it * Metl Pitae ' (i.e. ' Thread Agave ') and that the fibre was 

 prized specially for cloth weaving. It is plainly a Euagave, and 

 though the stock of Theometel is like that of A. Wightii in the 

 sketch, the leaf of this other is much nearer (Jj or the Tequila 

 (which see) ; while the description fits (J) better than either (E) 

 or (F), which moreover seem to affect the ' Templada,' or plateau, 

 rather than the coast belt or the deep hot canons (barrancas) of 

 Jalisco, etc. The second part of the Mexican name seems to be 

 another masquerade of * Ixtli. ' See also Yztli. 



Qui* or 'Quil* seems to mean 'herb' or 'grass* in several languages 

 of Central America, and in Yucatan was applied to the fibre 



S" elded by various Agaves, Furcraeas. and Eromeliaceae. The 

 aya Quiche country extends f rom near Vera Cruz to San Salvador 

 taking in both coasts from Guatemala to Honduras, but towards 

 tb north is confined to the tropical belt on the Uulf of Mexico. 

 The original Istle of the Mnyas was perhaps Karatas Plumieri, 

 said to abound in the wild parts of Nicaragua. Tradition bears that 

 the Heneqtten was introduced by a Toltec dynasty from Central 

 Mexico. Sen also Yztli, Yacqui, Yashqui, and (for the Mangue 

 dynasty) Maguey (2) and Magueyes (1) 



; Railway Aloe.' See the next. 



In Madras the 'Railway Aloe* is commonly Aeave (D). In 

 Northern India the same species has been used, in parts, for 

 railway fencing, but in th<* drier tracts Agave (F) has been 

 substituted. Agave E is used also. 



Often called (see Dodge) simply 'Raiz,' i.e. roots. Cf. Aloe fibre, 

 Broom root, Brush fibre, Mexican fibre, Mexican Whisk and 

 Eeju. Eaiz is said to be corrupted into ' rice root.' 



From the Sanscrit RaJcshasha = an evil demon. Names of Agave 

 species are frequently compounded with this (See Bramarakashie, 

 etc.) Spelled in old reports, etc. as 'Kakus.' 



See also Eakshi Matalu under Agave americana in Watt E.D., and 

 the following. 



Ditto 



ditto 



