189 



one. A strong cord is then passed through the loop formed by all 

 the strings brought together at each end, by which the hammock 



o o o " • . 



is hung up a few feet from the ground and in this open net the 

 naked Indian sleeps beside his fire as comfortably as we do in our 

 beds of down. 



" Other tribes twist the strings together in a complicated man- 

 ner so that the hammock is more elastic, and the Brazilians have 

 introduced a variety of improvements by using a kind of knitting- 

 needle producing a closer web, or by a large wooden frame with 

 rollers, on which they weave in a rude manner with a woof and 

 weft as in a regular loom. They also dye the string of many bril- 

 liant colours which they work in symmetrical patterns, making the 

 redes or " maqueiras" as they are there called, among the gayest 

 articles of furniture to be seen in a Brazilian house on the Amazon. 



" From the fruits a favourite Indian beverage is produced. 

 They are soaked in water till they begin to ferment, and the scales 

 and pulpy matter soften and can be easily rubbed off in water. 

 "When strained through a sieve, it is ready for use, and has a slight 

 acid taste and a peculiar flavour of the fruit at first rather dis- 

 agreeable to European palates." {Palmce.) 



76. M ax tmtt.tana Martiana, Karst. — This Palm, when full grown, has a 



lofty stem with leaves 50 feet long. The large woody spathes 

 which cover the young flowering branch, are used as baskets, 

 cradles, and even to boil meat in. It grows in the drier forests of 

 Brazil. {Palmce.) 



77. Mesua ferrea, Linn. — The J^aghas tree of the Hindoos is every- 



where cultivated in India for the beauty and fragrance of the flow- 

 ers, the delicate colouring of the young leaves and the excellent 

 shade afforded by the leafy branches. The flowers are dried, and 

 used for sachets ; and also in medicinal preparations, as they are 

 astringent and stomachic, besides imparting a perfume. The oil 

 expressed from the dried kernel of the seeds is applied as an em- 

 brocation for rheumatism, etc. The wood is one of the Iron AVoods, 

 extremely hard, heavy, and difficult to work, and proof against 

 white ants. The Hindoo legend tells how one of the five arrows 

 of Kamadeva, the Indian Cupid, is tipped with the wood of the 

 Naghas. {Guttiferce.) 



78. Mi che lt a Champaca, Linn. — The Champac Tree is a native of 



India, and is commonly cultivated throughout that country. It is 

 sacred to Yishnu, and is therefore planted near Hindu temples, 

 the sweet scented flowers being offered at the shrines. 



The timber can be used for furniture and building, and the bark 

 is bitter and aromatic. 



Medicinally, the flowers are said to be the cheapest, commonest, 

 and most useful drug in India, prescribed in dyspepsia, nausea, 

 and fever. They are of a yellow colour and are used by the na- 

 tive women to adorn their dark hair. 



