MANNA 347 



from these trees, or the gum that exudes from them. 1 The Portuguese 

 corrupted the word to siracost." The other kind he calls tiriam-jabim 

 or trumgibim (Persian tdr-angubln) . "They say that it is found among 

 the thistles and in small pieces, somewhat of a red color. It is said that 

 they are obtained by shaking the thistles with a stick, and that they are 

 larger than a coriander-seed when dried, the color, as I said, between 

 red and vermilion. The vulgar hold that it is a fruit, but I believe 

 that it is a gum or resin. They think this is more wholesome than the 

 kind we have, and it is much used in Persia and Ormuz." "Another 

 kind comes in large pieces mixed with leaves. This is like that of Cala- 

 bria, and is worth more money, coming by way of Bacora, a city of 

 renown in Persia. Another kind is sometimes seen in Goa, liquid in 

 leather bottles, which is like coagulated white honey. They sent this 

 to me from Ormuz, for it corrupts quickly in our land, but the glass 

 flasks preserve it. I do not know anything more about this medicine." 

 JOHN FRYER 2 speaks of the mellifluous dew a-nights turned into manna, 

 which is white and granulated, and not inferior to the Calabrian. 

 According to G. WATT, S shirkhist is the name for the white granular 

 masses found in Persia on the shrub Cotoneaster nummularia; white 

 taranjabin ( = tar-angubiri) is obtained from the camel-thorn (Alhagi 

 camelorum and A. maurorum), growing in Persia, and consisting of a 

 peculiar sugar called melezitose and cane-sugar. The former is chiefly 

 brought from Herat, and is obtained also from Atraphaxis spinosa 

 (Polygonaceae) . 4 



It is thus demonstrated also from a philological and historical point 

 of view that the yan ts'e and k*ie-p'o-lo of the Chinese represent the 

 species Alhagi camelorum. 



Another Persian name for manna is xoSkenjubin, which means "dry- 

 honey." An Arabic tradition explains it as a dew that falls on trees in 

 the mountains of Persia; while another Arabic author says, "It is dry 

 honey brought from the mountains of Persia. It has a detestable odor. 

 It is warm and dry, warmer and dryer than honey. Its properties in 

 general are more energetic than those of honey." 6 This product, called 



1 Garcia's etymology is only partially correct. The Persian word is sir-xest, 

 which means "goat's milk." Hence Armenian UrixiSd, SirxeSd, SimxuSg, or SiraxuZ 

 (cf. E. SEIDEL, Mechithar, p. 210). 



1 New Account of East India and Persia, Vol. II, p. 201. 

 8 Agricultural Ledger, 1900, No. 17, p. 188. 



4 See FLtfcKiGER and H ANBURY, op. ciL, p. 415. According to SCHLIMMER 

 (Terminologie, p. 357), this manna comes from Herat, Khorasan, and the district 

 Lor-ehrestanek. 



5 L. LECLERC, Traite" des simples, Vol. II, p. 32. 



