﻿412 
  Transactions. 
  — 
  Botany. 
  

  

  when 
  in 
  short 
  they 
  would 
  be 
  called 
  upon 
  to 
  sustain 
  any 
  severe 
  strain 
  upon 
  

   their 
  mental 
  or 
  physical 
  power, 
  they 
  would 
  then 
  take 
  out 
  of 
  a 
  bag, 
  in 
  which 
  

   they 
  carried 
  it, 
  some 
  dried 
  vegetable 
  substance, 
  and 
  would 
  chew 
  or 
  masticate 
  

   small 
  quantities 
  of 
  it, 
  and 
  would 
  at 
  intervals 
  during 
  their 
  desert 
  travel 
  

   masticate 
  and 
  swallow 
  small 
  portions 
  of 
  this 
  substance, 
  and 
  they 
  could 
  thus 
  

   for 
  days 
  sustain 
  themselves 
  without 
  food, 
  until 
  they 
  could 
  reach 
  places 
  

   where 
  food, 
  etc., 
  was 
  again 
  procurable. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  further 
  known 
  that 
  the 
  individuals 
  of 
  the 
  several 
  tribes 
  valued 
  this 
  

   material 
  very 
  highly, 
  and 
  that 
  they 
  obtained 
  it 
  from 
  a 
  distant 
  tribe, 
  paying 
  

   for 
  it 
  by 
  a 
  kind 
  of 
  barter, 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  users 
  did 
  not 
  know 
  the 
  plant 
  from 
  

   which 
  it 
  was 
  gathered. 
  

  

  The 
  knowledge 
  of 
  these 
  facts 
  had 
  caused 
  various 
  scientific 
  persons 
  in 
  

   Australia 
  — 
  Baron 
  von 
  Mueller, 
  Dr. 
  Bancroft, 
  and 
  others 
  — 
  to 
  be 
  very 
  

   desirous 
  to 
  learn 
  more 
  about 
  this 
  material, 
  and 
  to 
  investigate 
  its 
  properties. 
  

  

  When 
  Mr. 
  Gilmore 
  upon 
  one 
  occasion 
  was 
  travelling, 
  he 
  came 
  across 
  a 
  

   tribe 
  who, 
  being 
  remarkable 
  in 
  other 
  respects, 
  claimed 
  to 
  have 
  certain 
  of 
  

   their 
  old 
  men 
  who 
  knew 
  where 
  the 
  Pituri 
  was 
  procured, 
  and 
  the 
  plants 
  from 
  

   which 
  it 
  was 
  obtained. 
  Mr. 
  Gilmore 
  was 
  afterwards 
  fortunate 
  enough 
  to 
  

   procure 
  specimens 
  of 
  the 
  dried 
  Pituri, 
  and 
  gave 
  portions 
  to 
  several 
  scientific 
  

   persons 
  to 
  experiment 
  with. 
  

  

  Dr. 
  Bancroft 
  made 
  several 
  very 
  interesting 
  experiments 
  with 
  this 
  

   material, 
  both 
  in 
  its 
  dried 
  state 
  and 
  also 
  with 
  an 
  extract 
  prepared 
  from 
  it. 
  

  

  Baron 
  von 
  Mueller, 
  having 
  received 
  a 
  portion 
  and 
  examined 
  it 
  

   microscopically 
  and 
  otherwise, 
  believed 
  that 
  a 
  considerable 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  dried 
  

   substance 
  was 
  the 
  leaf 
  of 
  a 
  small 
  tree 
  or 
  shrub, 
  which 
  he 
  defined 
  as 
  Diiboisia 
  

   hopivoodU, 
  which 
  is 
  indigenous 
  in 
  several 
  of 
  the 
  warmer 
  parts 
  of 
  Austraha. 
  

   Having 
  procured, 
  through 
  the 
  kindness 
  of 
  Mr. 
  Barley, 
  a 
  supply 
  of 
  the 
  

   dried 
  Pituri, 
  I 
  was 
  able 
  to 
  investigate 
  it, 
  and 
  to 
  confirm 
  the 
  results 
  obtained 
  

   by 
  Dr. 
  Bancroft 
  to 
  some 
  extent, 
  which 
  results 
  shall 
  be 
  as 
  briefly 
  as 
  possible 
  

   related 
  hereunder, 
  with 
  a 
  view 
  to 
  inducing 
  all 
  who 
  have 
  the 
  means 
  to 
  

   farther 
  investigate 
  this 
  very 
  curious, 
  and 
  as 
  it 
  appears, 
  very 
  important 
  

   substance, 
  which 
  promises 
  not 
  only 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  very 
  valuable 
  medicinal 
  remedy, 
  

   but 
  to 
  be 
  what 
  it 
  is 
  claimed 
  the 
  coca 
  of 
  the 
  Peruvians 
  is 
  (the 
  dried 
  leaves 
  

   of 
  the 
  Erythoxylon 
  coca), 
  a 
  nervine 
  and 
  stimulant 
  that 
  sustains 
  function, 
  

   and 
  retards 
  tissue 
  waste. 
  

  

  Before 
  giving 
  the 
  results 
  of 
  my 
  experiments 
  with 
  Pituri, 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  well 
  

   to 
  see 
  what 
  Baron 
  von 
  Mueller 
  and 
  others 
  say 
  of 
  it. 
  

  

  " 
  The 
  natives 
  of 
  Central 
  Australia 
  chew 
  the 
  leaves 
  of 
  Duhoisia 
  hopwoodii, 
  

   just 
  like 
  the 
  Peruvians, 
  and 
  Chilians 
  masticate 
  the 
  leaves 
  of 
  the 
  coca 
  

   ( 
  Eryiho.ri/lon 
  coca 
  J 
  to 
  invigorate 
  themselves 
  during 
  their 
  long 
  foot-journeys 
  

   through 
  the 
  desert. 
  I 
  am 
  not 
  certain 
  whether 
  the 
  aboriginals 
  of 
  all 
  districts 
  

  

  