I>IKA OF ECONOMIC PLANTS. 153 



separated from Datura as a distinct genus under tlie name of 

 Brugmansia, the principal distinctive character being their 

 arborescent habit and smooth fruits. 



3. D. sanguinea is, like the preceding, a soft- wooded shrub 

 or small tree, with large, orange-coloured, tubular flowers, which 

 are highly ornamental in the conservatories of this country. It 

 is a native of Peru, Darien, and other parts of Central America. 

 Its seeds, like those of stramonium, are highly narcotic. Much 

 superstition is attached to it by the Indians, who prepare a 

 drink from the seeds called Tonga, the use of which, they 

 believe, brings them into communication with the spirits of their 

 forefathers. Shortly after drinking stupor comes on, and the 

 eyes become fixed on the ground ; in about a quarter of an hour 

 the mouth is convulsively closed, and the eyes begin to roll, 

 and the whole body becomes frightfully convulsed. This is 

 succeeded by several hours' sleep ; on awakening the sufferer 

 relates his visions to his friends. 



In Darien the Indians give the drink to their children, 

 and it produces a state of excitement in which they are sup- 

 posed to possess the power of discovering gold ; where they fall 

 the spot is dug, and as gold dust is more or less found in every 

 part of the soil, sufficient is generally obtained to confirm their 

 belief in the method of detecting gold. 



Dawa, a name of a tree in Fiji. {See Litchi.) 



Deal, the name given to woods of the Pine tribe. {See Fir 

 Trees.) 



Deodar. {See Cedar.) 



Devirs Tree. {See Dita Bark.) 



Dewberry. {See Bramble.) 



Dhal, an Indian name for the seeds of Cajanus indicus. 

 {See Pigeon Pea.) 



Dhourra, the Egyptian and Indian name for Millet. 



Dika, or Udika Bread, a name in the Gaboon country of 

 Western tropical Africa for a preparation made from the seeds of 

 Irvingia Barteri, a tree of the Quassia family (Simarubace^) ; the 

 fruits are pulpy, the size of a peach or large plum; as they fall 



