Jan. 1848. STICK-LAC AND SHELL-LAC. 9 



Flora to the same period as that of the Lias and Oolites, 

 when the Cycadece now living in the former countries shall 

 be fossilised. 



Specific identity of their contained fossils may be con- 

 sidered as fair evidence of the cotemporaneous origin of 

 beds, but amongst the many collections of fossil plants that 

 I have examined, there is hardly a specimen, belonging to 

 any epoch, sufficiently perfect to warrant the assumption that 

 the species to which it belonged can be again recognised. 

 The botanical evidences which geologists too often accept 

 as proofs of specific identity are such as no botanist would 

 attach any importance to in the investigation of existing 

 plants. The faintest traces assumed to be of vegetable 

 origin are habitually made into genera and species by natu- 

 ralists ignorant of the structure, affinities and distribution 

 of living plants, and of such materials the bulk of so-called 

 systems of fossil plants is composed. 



A number of women were here employed in making gun- 

 powder, grinding the usual materials on a stone, with the 

 addition of water from the Hookah; a custom for which 

 they have an obstinate prejudice. The charcoal here used 

 is made from an Acacia: the Seiks, I believe, employ Justicia 

 Adhatoda, which is also in use all over India : at Aden the 

 Arabs prefer the Calotropis, probably because it is most 

 easily procured. The grain of all these plants is open, 

 whereas in England, closer-grained and more woody trees, 

 especially willows, are preferred. 



The jungle I found to consist chiefly of thorny bushes, 

 Jujube of two species, an Acacia and Butea frondosa, the 

 twigs of the latter often covered with lurid red tears of Lac, 

 which is here collected in abundance. As it occurs on the 

 plants and is collected by the natives it is called Stick-lac, 

 but after preparation Shell -lac. In Mirzapore, a species of 



