NOTES ON BOTANY AND GEOLOGY. 421 



cook. He said no power on earth would induce him to send up 

 such a disgusting dish ! 



There are, of course, hundreds of wild plants which are used 

 as food, for medicine, for dyeing purposes, etc. Press of other 

 work prevented my being able to work out this matter as I should 

 like to have done, but I may mention indigo, Indigofera tindoria ; 

 salsaparilha or sarsaparilla, Smilax sarsaparilla ; and ipecacuanha, 

 Cephalis ipecacuanha, also called zucaquenha or picahonha. The 

 name ipecacuanha is derived from the Indian ipC'Cad-goine, " the 

 little plant which causes emeticisra " (goSne) ; or from ipk-cad- 

 cunha, " the Uttle plant of the woman '' (cunha), being much used 

 in feminine complaints (Captain Burton, vol. i. p. 1 64, note). 



Erythroxylon. — One species of this genus, the celebrated 

 coca, which is now becoming medically famous in England, is 

 extensively "used in Peru for its remarkable power of stimu- 

 lating the nervous system, in which respect it quite resembles 

 opium. The leaves are used with a small mixture of finely 

 powdered chalk." * 



Melastomaceaeare handsome trees, shrubs, or herbaceous plants; 

 the leaves have five or three ribs ; the flowers are purple or yellow. 



There are many plants and shrubs, producing excellent fruit, of 

 which I am unable to give the names. One (found December 10, 

 1883) grows on a shrub about one foot high; it is called pitanga, 

 and is a bright crimson fruit, very luscious, tasting like an egg-plum, 

 and has a large bean-shaped kernel. Another good fruit, called 

 cajii, is very curious. It is like a small yellow apple in shape, 

 and, though rather astringent, tastes like an over-ripe American 

 apple ; its large bean-shaped seed grows outside, on the top of the 

 fruit {Psidium sp.). 



Notes on the Geology of the Districts visiTEcf 



As I had no opportunity of inspecting the limestone districts 

 of the valley of the Rio Paraop^ba, wherein occur, in the caves, 

 the remains of men and of animals under similar circumstances to 



* "The Vegetable Kingdom," p. 381, John Lindley, 1853. 

 t M. Liais's "Gtelogie du Bresil" has been frequently referred to, " Cli- 

 mats, Faune," etc., pp. 1-38. 



