ipz Dr. Robinfbn U Mr. Ray. 



I traveled ftom Capua to Naples in the Company; 

 of an ingenious Neapolitan Ph'yfician, ;who enter- 

 tained me with the Hiftory of his Country. He af- 

 fur'd me, that the \Fraxinus± or Qrnus, in many Places! 

 North-Weft: of Naples^ . afforded Manna, of which 

 the Inhabitants made Advantage, tho' it was not fo 

 much eileem'd as that of Calabria - y for gathering and 

 evaporating in the Sun this Saccharine Juice, they al- 

 ways make ufe of wooden Inftruments and Veflelsj* 

 for it will prey upon Metalline,' or bony ones, and 

 fo loofe its white Cblour when concreted. The afore- 

 mentioned Neapolitan inform'd me, : that the Cicada, 

 did feed much upon the Ornus \ which makes me 

 conje£ture, that this Infe£fc (which you have well di- 

 ftinguifh'd from our Grajhopper) does peirce the Tree^ 

 and fo opens the Paflage for the Manna to fweat out. 

 I remember, in one of the German Ephem. I lately 

 fent you, there is an Account and Figure of an Indian 

 Tree, upon which fome Infe&s are faid to work, and 

 prepare a Sort of Manna. I am apt to believe it may 

 be a Miftake, and that the Manna works it felf out 

 of the Tree opened and fuck'd by the Infe£ts # $ but* 

 you are beft able to judge of thefe Matters. 



Mr. Ray'* Anfwer to Dr. Robinfbn. 



S IR, Black Not ley, Sept. 14. «8f . 



K Dodard's vegetable Subftance growing on the 

 j^V • Horn-beam Tree, I know not what to fay to, 

 1 wiih it were my Luck to fee it. That the fame 

 Tree yielded a Gum like Lacca y feems to me very 

 ftrange, that being a Bleeding-Tree, of which I ne- 

 ver heard of any that yielded any Gum. Howbeit, 

 Mr. Marchand was a very credible Perfon. 



fFepfer's 



