APPENDIX. 43 



Upon cutting two of the fineft branches of a tree in its 

 full vigour, a quantity of this ifTued but, which I cannot 

 compute to be lefs than four Englifti gallons, and this was 

 fo exceedingly cauftic, that, though I warned the fabre that 

 cut it immediately, the ftain has not yet left it. 



♦ 



When the tree grows old, the branches wither, and, ia 

 place of milk, the infide appears to be full of powder, which 

 is fo pungent, that the fmall duft which I drew upon lin- 

 king a withered branch feemed to threaten to make me 

 fneeze to death, and the touching of the milk with my 

 fingers excoriated them as if fcalded with boiling water ; 

 yet I everywhere obferved the wood- pecker piercing the 

 rotten branches with its beak, and eating the infects, with- 

 out any imprehlon upon its . olfactory nerves. 



The only ufe the Abyffinians make of this is for tanning 

 hides, at leaft for taking off the firft hair. As we went weft, 

 the tree turned poor, the branches were few, feldom above 

 two or three ribs, or divifions, and thefe not deeply indented, 

 whereas thofe of Taranta had frequently eight. We after- 

 wards faw fome of them at the fource of the Nile, in the 

 cliff where the village of Geefh is fituated, but, though up- 

 on very good ground, they did not feem to thrive ; on the 

 contrary, where they grew on Taranta it was fandy, ftony, 

 poor earth, fcarce deep enough to cover the rock, but I 

 fufpect they received fome benefit from their vicinity to 

 the fea. 



Some botanifts who have feen the drawing have fuppofed 

 this to be the euphorbia officinarum of Linnams ; but, with- 

 out pretending to great fkill in this matter, I mould fear there 



Vol. V. H would 



