THF, LYOHKI-; AVH U'\<;\\ IN COMMKWF, 



toxicity. When added to the regular diet of a rabbit, for a long 

 period or when fed in as large a quantity as 50 g. at one time, no 

 toxic effects whatever from the nuts were observed. 



A more thorough study of the comparative medicinal values 

 of the lychee and lungan should be made at an early date. Dried 

 lungan from which skin and seed have been removed can be purchased 

 in Chinese medicine shops and as such is an article of commerce. 

 Jnrhe Bulletin of Miscellaneous Information of the Royal Gardens 

 a? Kevv ' attention was called to this lungan pulp in the following 

 words : 



l< Mr. Consul Kenny in his Report on the Trade of Tainan, 



Formosa, for the year 1896 (Foreign Office Report, Annual Series, 



No. 2,021) draws attention to this substance in the following words: 



Lungan is the fruit popularly known as the 'dragon's eye.' It is 



prepared in the form of pulp by peeling and stoning the fruit and 



drying and baking it, and is used by the Chinese as tea " 



Notes from a memorandum on the subject by Rev. William. Camp- 

 bell, r. R.G.S., Presbyterian Missionary at Tainan, are quoted in this 

 report as follows : 



The dried Lung-ngan or Geng-geng, which is largely ex- 

 ported from An-peng, port of Tainan, is described as the longan 

 fruit (Nep helium longana^ 



"Natives state that the "lichi " (Nepkclitim Litclti, Cam- 

 ness.-) is not very common in Formosa, It is larger than the lung- 

 ngan or geng-geng, has a thinner and much rougher outside husk, and 

 contains more edible matter. 



' The country of Kagi is a region where much of the gcng- 

 geng yearly production is prepared for exportation. 



'The work of first heating the fruit so as to cause the soft parr 

 inside to shrink, of peeling the husk, and then of drying the abstracted 

 soft part over a slow fire, is carried on chiefly by women and girls, who 

 earn each about 60-80 cash (b-8 cents a day) , besides getting the husks 

 and hard inner nut for use as fuel. The work usually begins about the 

 middle of the eighth month and lasts on until the end of the year. The 

 dried article of export is taken to Shanghai, &c, and is said to be largely 

 used for infusion with water as a refreshing drink or febrifuge. 



1 Kew Royal Gardens, Bulletin of Miscellaneous Information ^ Printed 

 for His Majesty's stationery offnfe, London, 1X99, pap's 219 ami _\?o. 



