Bati—Tilentification of the Animals and Plants of India. 339 
the extent stated by Ktesias. As to the medicinal properties, the seeds 
are believed to be cooling and alterative, and the leaves and young shoots 
are used as a purgative. 
To the above, which constitute strong reasons in favour of this 
identification, there may be added, that although at first sight the name 
pipal presents no very close resemblance to parebon, still, when written 
as it is often pronounced, peepun, the / being replaced by x, it is not 
difficult to understand how the sound may have suggested to the ear of 
the Greek writer a combination of letters which he represented by 
mapn Pov. 
7. Trees BEARING WooL (ra dé dévépea Ta dypia aitdbe héper 
Kap7ov éipia). 
Gossypium indicum, Lam.—Cotton Tree. 
No claim can be made here for origimality in identifying with cot- 
ton the substance mentioned in the following extracts. It is an iden- 
tification about which commentators are agreed. It is only mentioned 
here on account of some special points of interest connected with it; 
but it might have been omitted for the same reason that so many other 
substances have been, namely, that their identity is not doubtful. 
Herodotus” says: ‘‘ One sees, besides, wild trees which, instead of 
fruit, carry a species of wool more beautiful and better than that of 
the sheep. The Indians dress themselves with the wool which they 
collect from these trees.” 
Ktesias, as related by several of his commentators, refers to the trees 
in India which bear wool. 
Arrian, quoting from Nearchos, also refers to this product, which, 
in its woven state, was new to the Greeks who went to India in the 
army of Alexander. 
A cotton from stones, mentioned by some early authors, appears to 
have been asbestos, as I have elsewhere suggested. 
The xapracos, mentioned in the Periplus as an export from Ariake 
to Egypt, was the Sanscrit ‘drpdsa, signifying fine muslin. The name 
survives in the modern Hindustani word kapas, cotton. 
8. Tue Srpraknora TREE (Surtaxopas). 
Schleichera trijuga, Wild, and Bassia latifolia, Roxb. 
In the account of 7A extpov, on page 331, the identification of the 
Siptakhora has, by anticipation, been already suggested. It appears to 
combine the characteristics of two trees which are found in the same 
tract of country. The Hhusum tree (Schleichera trijuga) was probably 
97 Thalie, lib. 111. c. evi. 
88 Proceedings, Royal Dublin Society, 1883, p. 83. 
