11 
stowed in netted bags, slrins, or any available wrappings. When used 
on the march a portion is put into the mouth, chewed until it assumes 
the form and consistency of a sailor’s quid, passed round each one of 
the party, the saliva promoted by its use being swallowed, and finally 
it is restored to the original donor who carries it behind his ear, until 
constant employment has extracted all its virtues. When time will 
permit, potash prepared from the leaves of any plant suitable for the 
purpose, is sprinkled over the petcherie, and probably for the same 
reasons as when used in connection with the betel nut. Your remarks 
as to the toxicological properties of petcherie must, I confess, astonish 
me. Sixteen years ago, when with Burke and Wills’ expedition, 
subsequently with Mr. Jno McKinlay, and recently in the north- 
west expedition, I used petcherie habitually, when procurable, in 
default of tobacco; and have very often chewed it both in its raw 
and prepared state. Regretting my inability to offer you more 
scientific details, 
I am, dear Sir, 
Yours truly, 
W. O. Hodgkinson. 
Baron Yon Mueller kindly sent me small specimens of 
various Anthocerci and Schwenkeas, which he could spare from 
his herbarium. The specimens are too small to be used for 
physiological experiments. The genus Anthocercis contains 16 
other species, mostly West Australian, two are South Australian, 
and one Tasmanian. Extract of these I would gladly receive to 
determine if properties of importance exist in the genus. If 
not, it is still likely that the plant named after Leichhardt will 
have some valuable powers. The following letter of Baron Yon 
Mueller is important : — 
PiTURY. 
To the Editor of The Australian Medical Journal. 
Sir, 
Some weeks ago I was asked by our last president about the 
origin of the Pitury, a stimulant said to be of marvellous power, and 
known to be in use by the aborigines of Central Australia. It so 
happened that after years of efforts to get a specimen of the plant, I 
at last, this week, obtained leaves, and although I have seen neither 
flowers nor fruits, and although these leaves are very similar to those 
of various otherwise widely disabled plants, I can almost with cer- 
tainty, after due microscopic examination, pronounce those of the 
Pitury as derived from my Duboisia Hopwoodii, described in 1861, 
(Fragm. Phytogr. Austr . II., 138). This bush extends from the 
Darling River and Barcoo to West Australia, through desert scrubs, but 
is of exceedingly sparse occurrence anywhere. In fixing the origin of 
the Pitury, now a wide field for further inquiry is opened up, inas- 
much as a second species of Duboisia (D. myoporoides R. JBr.) 
extends in forest-land from near Sydney to near Cape York, and is 
traced also to JNew Caledonia, and lately by me also to .New Guinea. 
V 
