1883.] The Naturalist Brazilian Expedition. 715 
of the region between the Parana and the Atlantic, and perhaps 
also in the Matto Grosso. It is a shrub or bushy tree from ten 
to twenty feet high, and thickly covered with oblong-lanceolate 
leaves, which are furnished beneath with peculiar aromatic glands. 
The hervaes are commonly in mountainous districts, far from set- 
tled places, and the peasants make long journeys to gather the 
leaves. Having chosen a locality, they go over it in detail, hack- 
ing off all the smaller boughs, and leaving only the. stems and 
lower parts of the main branches. Soon after gathering, the 
boughs are passed, one by one, through the flame of a long fire 
bed with certain aromatic woods ; this operation lasts only half a 
minute for each branch, but it requires a peculiar dexterity not 
easily acquired ; an unpracticed hand will burn the leaves or dry 
them unevenly. After this preliminary scorching the branches 
are cut into smaller portions, which are gathered into faggots and 
hung close together under a low shed; there a fire is maintained 
under them for twenty hours or more. To secure good matte 
this fire should also be fed with aromatic woods, which give a 
bright flame without smoke; the workmen, however, frequently 
use the first wood which comes to hand, such as the araucaria, 
or Brazilian pine, which imparts a disagreeable odor to the leaves. 
Being thus thoroughly dried the faggots are allowed to remain 
under the shed until the time arrives for sending them to the fac- 
tory; they are then untied, and the twigs are strewn over a clear 
space of hard ground, which has been previously prepared ; here 
they are thrashed with long poles until the leaves and twigs are 
reduced to small fragments. The mass is then gathered up and 
packed in baskets for transportation. Commonly the gathering 
is repeated at intervals of five or six years in each Aerva/, and the 
Product of a tree is said to be better after it has been despoiled 
several times, The first cutting may take place when the tree is 
fifteen years old. Sometimes the leaves of other species of Ilex 
are mixed with the true matte, to its great detriment. Attempts 
have been made to cultivate the tree, but without success; the 
seeds grow naturally only at intervals of several years, and under 
peculiarly favorable circumstances: It is said that germination 
takes place only in those seeds which have passed through the 
. 
intestines of birds} If this be true the fact will be an important 
*Conty ; Le Maté et les Conserves de viande, p.17. In this work a very com- 
Plete account is given of the preparation of matte. 
