But, even supposing that specific identity of their
contained fossils be considered as fair evidence of the
cotemporaneous o’rigin of beds; amongst the many
collections of fossil plants that I have examined, there
is hardly a specimen, belonging to any epoch, sufficiently
perfect to warrant the assumption that the species
to which it belonged can be recognised. The botanical
evidences which geologists too often accept as proofs of
specific identity, are such as no botanist would attach
any importance to in the investigation of existing
plants.
A number of women were here employed in making
gunpowder, grinding the usual materials on a stone,
with the addition of water from the Hookah; a custom
for which they have an obstinate prejudice. The charcoal
here used is made from an Acacia: the Seiks, I
believe, employ Justicia Adhatoda, which is also in use
all over India: at Aden the Arabs prefer the Cabtropis,
probably because it is most easily procured. The grain
of all these plants is open, whereas in England, closer-
grained and more woody trees, especially willows, are
preferred.
The jungle I found to consist chiefly of thorny
hushes, Jujube of two species, an Acacia and Butea
frondosa, the twigs of the latter often covered with lurid
red tears of Lac, which is here collected in abundance.
As it occurs on the plants and is collected by the
natives it is called Stick-Iac, hut after preparation
Shell-lac. In Mirzapore, a species of Celtis yields it,
and the Peepul very commonly in various parts of
India. The elaboration of this dye, whether by the
J a n . 1848. ELEPHANTS. 9
same or many species of insect, from plants so widely
different in habit and characters, is a very curious
fact; the more so since none of these plants have red,
but some have milky and others limpid juices.
After breakfast, Mr. Williams and I started on an
elephant, following the camp. The docility of these
animals is an old story, but it loses so much in the
telling, that their gentleness, obedience, and sagacity
seemed as strange to me as if I had never heard or
read of these attributes. The swinging motion, under
a hot sun, is very oppressive, hut compensated for by
being so high above the dust. The mahout or driver
guides by poking his great toes under either ear, enforcing
obedience with an iron goad, with which he
hammers the animal’s head with quite as much force
as would break a cocoa-nut, or drives it through his
thick skin down to the quick. Our elephant was an
excellent one, when he did not take obstinate fits, and
so intelligent as to pick up pieces of stone when
desired, and with a jerk of the trunk throw them over
his head for the rider to catch, thus saving the trouble
of dismounting to geologise!
We met many pilgrims to Juggernath, most of whom
were on foot, while a few were in carts or pony gigs of
rude construction. The vehicles from the upper
country are distinguished by a far superior build, their
horses are caparisoned with jingling bells, and the
wheels and other parts are bound with brass. The
kindness of the people towards animals, and in some
cases towards their suffering relations, is very remarkable,
and may in part have given rise to the prevalent
B 3