676 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy, 
eyes in the river of Cranganor, in which, skiffs made from that cane 
are much used because those who use them consider themselves to be 
safe from crocodiles, which they call caymans," &c., C. Acosta, 
^^Aromatum, &c.," Antwerp, 1582, p. 17. 
COLLOQUY LII. 
Do Squinanto ou Esquinanto. 
[The plant and root of a grass Andropogon laniger, Desf.] 
Called cachahar {izakhara) and haxiscagule in Arabia ; alaf'm Persia ; 
Mrva de Mascate in Goa ; adhar by Avicena, and adher by Serapion, the 
flower /oc^ by Arabs and Persians. It grows in Mascate (Muscat) and 
Calaiate in Arabia as grass does in Spain, and is eaten by cattle 
there. 
Garcia says it was used medicinally by the Portuguese and Arabs 
in India, but not by the natives. 
This Colloquy is largely taken up with exposing the errors of 
Dioscorides and other writers as to the affinities of this plant. 
There are several other species of Andropogon in India which 
yield fragrant oils. 
COLLOQUY LIII. 
Dos Tamaeindus. 
[The tamarind fruit, Tamarindus indica, Linn.] 
Called in Malabar ; amlili {amhuU and amali) in Gujarat and 
other parts of India ; tamarindi {tamara hindi^ i.e. Indian date) by the 
Arabs. 
Garcia describes the tree very correctly. He commends the infusion 
of the pods as a purge. The bruised leaves were used by the Indian 
physicians for poultices, Mesne being quoted by Ruano as having 
stated that the tamarind is the fruit of the Palma syhestris, Garcia 
disposes of this and adds that the palms in India did not bear dates, 
the latter fruit being imported from Arabia. He was evidently un- 
aware that the date palm was cultivated in his time in Sind. 
In this Colloquy allusion is made to Cairo and the pyramids. 
[References. — Clusius [Acosta)^ p. 40 ; Linschoten^ ii., 6, 119-122 ; 
Bontius and Fiso, lib. vi., cap. iv., p. 93, fig. ; Ainslie, i., pp. 425-8 ; 
FlucUger and Hanbury , p. 197 ; Khory^ p. 240.] 
