230 THE AUSTRALIAN NATURALIST. 
Cedar-wood, mentioned under Cedar, is probably Juniperus 
phoenicea, not J. excelsa. . 
Apple—Mr. Dinsmore favours the quince as the correct 
translation of the Hebrew “tappnach” as “From the references 
we know that the fruit is sweet, fragrant and yellow, and that 
the tree is a common one.” The true apple is not common, and 
is poor in quality, so that the abundant quince (the Apple of 
the Hesperides) seems more probable. The citron is ruled out 
by its bitterness. 
Bay.—tThis refers to any flourishing species of tree. 
Fir, Pine, Box—Mr. Dinsmore suggests these to be: Fir, 
Abies cilicica—fir; Pine, Juniperus excelsa—juniper; Box, 
Cupressus sempervirens—cypress. 
These trees with Cedar (Cedrus libani), and Pine (Pinus 
halepensis) are the principal ones of Lebanon. 
Oak.—Abraham’s Oak at Hebron is Quercus palaestina 
(Q. coccifera var. pseudococcifera). 
Sycamore (Ficus sycomanus).—This is one of the largest 
trees in Palestine. At Khan Yimus there is a row over 40 feet 
bigh. Post says they attain 45 feet, which makes it a giant 
amongst trees in Southern Palestine. The timber was used in 
Egypt for mummy cases. 
Willow.—The true willow is rarely found wild. Most Bible 
references to “willows of the brook” probably refer to the 
Oleander, and “Osiers” to the Chaste-tree (Vitex agnus—castus). 
Wheat.—The common wheats of Palestine are Durums or 
Macaroni wheats. Spelt is not known to Dinsmore, Post, or 
Aaronsohn (Agric. and Bot. Explorations in Palestine). It is 
interesting that a wild Emmer (Triticum. dicoceum dicoccoides) 
has been found in the Mt. Hermon area, which is believed to 
be a form of the original wheat. Emmers in Egypt and pro- 
bably Palestine, passed out of use before historical times, 
though found in tombs of the 1st Kgyptian dynasty 4,000 years 
before the Christian era. The durums even then y-ere grown. 
Millet—Panicum miliaceum is not grown in Palestine to- 
day, nor does it occur wild.’ 
Hyssop.—Dinsmore favours Origanum maru as the origin 
of this. In modern times the leaves are ground, and the pow- 
der used as a condiment by the natives, 
Gourd is probably Citrullas colocynthis. 
Cucinbita pepo is not a native or wild plant. 
Tamarisk (see under Manna).—This is not a Fraxinus, but 
one of the species of Tamarix so common in Palestine. 
Mustard.—Dinsmore considers this translation correct, and 
