166 



trees, we now discerned streams of vapour, 

 whenever a solar ray penetrated, and traversed 

 the dense atmosphere. Our guides pointed out 

 to us among those majestic trees, the height of 

 which exceeded 120 or 130 feet, the curucay of 

 Terecen *, which yields a whitish, liquid, and 

 very odoriferous resin, that was employed by 

 the Cumanagoto and Tagiri Indians, to per- 

 fume their idols. The young branches have an 

 agreeable taste, though somewhat astringent. 

 After the curucay and enormous trunks of 

 hymenaea, the diameter of which was more 

 than nine or ten feet, the trees which most 

 excited our attention were the dragon's blood 

 (croton sanguifluum), the purple brown juice 

 of which flows down a whitish bark ; the cala- 

 huala fern, different from that of Peru, but 

 almost equally medicinal sf - ; and the palm- 

 trees irasse, macanilla, corozo, and praga^. 

 The last yields a very savoury palm-cabbage, 

 which we had sometimes eaten at the Convent 



* See page 103 of this volume. 



+ The calahuala of Caripe is the polypodium crassifo- 

 lium ; that of Peru, the use of which has been so much ex- 

 tended by Messrs. Ruiz and Pavon, comes from the aspi- 

 dium coriaceum. Wild, (tectaria calahuala, Cav.) They 

 mix in commerce the diaphoretic roots of the polyp, crassi- 

 folium, and of the acrostichum huascaro, with those of the 

 calahualo, or aspidium coriaceum. 



% Aiphanes praga. 



