132 report — 1859. 



Kensington, the only effective dresses are the Royal Liveries and uniforms of the 

 troops. 



In India, again, nothing can be more effective, pictorially speaking, than a group 

 of Paisee ladies, either in deep shadow of a grove, or in bright sunshine, with the 

 simple dresses of China silk of uniform colour, or of not more than two and three, 

 the most marked and emphatic, black, white, yellow, orange, or crimson, or two of 

 them perhaps combined. 



Note on some Peculiarities of the Silk Trees or Bombacea of Western 

 India. By George Buist, LL.D., F.R.S. 



The Bombacece about to be noticed are, — 1. The Adansonia digitatn. 2. The 

 Bombax malabaricum. 3. The Bombax Pentandrum of Roxburgh, or Eriodendron 

 anfractuosum. 4. Cochlospermuin Gossypium. 



The Adansonia digitata is not a native of India. It is believed to have been intro- 

 duced from Africa or from Korassan by the Portuguese some 300 years ago. In 

 Malwa it is known by the name of " Korrasanee umlee," the Korrassan Tamarind 

 —a decoction of the fruit tasting bitter and subacid like that of the pod of the wild 

 tamarind. Graham describes it as prevailing chiefly on the sea-coast, its growth 

 being promoted by the fishermen for the sake of its wood, which, on account of its 

 lightness, makes excellent floats for their nets. It seems for half a century and 

 more to have become as plentiful in the interior as on the shore. The ruins of the 

 city of Mandoo near Indore, and of Bejapore in the southern Mahratta country, are 

 surrounded or filled with it. Photographs of the tree from the latter locality will be 

 found amongst the illustrations, showing, along with the drawings of Bombay trees, 

 how sadly it is misrepresented in the best of our English botanical works. The 

 largest of these trees I have met with measured 45 feet in girth ; but we have them 

 I believe twice as thick as this, flourishing in localities where they could not have 

 existed for more than a century. The marvellous longevity ascribed to it from its 

 size and the number of its rings seems without any foundation whatever. I have of 

 late made portraits with measurements. I regret I have been so late in undertaking 

 the task for every Adansonia of above 10 feet girth in Bombay, and a few years' 

 observation will show the rate at which the trunk itself extends. The rapidity of 

 its growth is surpassed by the extraordinary celerity of its decay ; attacked by the 

 grub of the larger Capricorn beetle, the Lamia sentis, the tree is eaten down in a 

 few months. In 1842 a tree 45 feet girth was totally swept off by these hideous 

 grubs from the face of the earth in six months. An account of the phenomenon 

 was published at the time ; a drawing of the tree will be found amongst the illus- 

 trations. I was in hopes of being able to send, for the inspection of the Association, 

 the lower cut of a tree 18 feet in girth, which has been literally eaten across this 

 spring, the top lying prostrate beside the trunk. I was unable to get it cut down in 

 time, but hope it will make its appearance in England before the year is at at an 

 end. The Adansonia begins to get into leaf in June; it flowers in July or August. 

 The individual flowers are pure white, and of singular beauty, but of an odour so 

 foetid, that it requires some strength in the olfactories to get them drawn. 



The Bombax malabaricum is a very large straight-stemmed tree, its bark and 

 branches covered over with tremendous prickles. It is said to be a Brahman pe- 

 nance to climb up the tree ; but the decree, like that which forgot to forbid the monk 

 from boiling the peas he was ordered to have in his shoes on his pilgrimage, omits 

 interdicting proper precautions now, and breeches and sleeves of leather may be 

 made strong enough to defy or tear off the prickles. It flowers in February, and 

 continues in flower till April. In the hand a branch in flower is gorgeous, in the 

 forest no effect whatever is produced by it. The flowers, which when spread out 

 present a circular surface of 2 inches in diameter, have the faculty of secreting a 

 large amount of sweetish moisture ; the birds, especially the crows, drink with 

 avidity. That this is not dew, but a secretion from the plant, I ascertained by en- 

 closing a number of flowers in wide-mouthed bottles, and making all tight with wet 

 membrane, so as to cut off all communication with the air, without injuring the 

 petals, or interfering with circulation or respiration. On an average they afforded 

 about fifty grains weight a day from each flower. The same thing goes on for several 



