is picked up
and thrown into a canoe. It is of an oblong shape, of a whitish
yellow, with four black rings around it, of a slightly pungent taste,
and not disagreeable when eaten with salt or meat.

The _psui-chah_, with a stem and leaf similar to the last, has a root
about the size of a large hickory-nut. They grow in deep water, and
being smaller are much more difficult to get, but the Indians prefer
them; they have an agreeable taste, and are harder and firmer when
cooked. Both these roots are found in large quantities in the musk-rat
lodges, stored by them for winter use.

The _ta-wah-pah_, with a stem, leaf, and yellow flower, like the
pond-lily, is found in the lakes, in water and mud, from four to five
feet deep. The Indian women dive for them, and frequently obtain as
many as they are able to carry. The root is from one to two feet in
height, very porous; there are as many as six or eight cells running
the whole length of the root. It is very difficult to describe the
flavor. It is slightly sweet and glutinous, and is generally boiled
with wild fowl, but is occasionally roasted.

In his exploring expedition into the interior of Guiana, in the region
of the Upper Essequibo, Sir E. Schomburgk notices the discovery of a
variety of Leguminosae, whose tubers grow to an enormous size, fully
equal to the largest yam. These roots were not, at the time he was
there, in full perfection, but their taste was somewhat between the
yam and the sweet potato. The Taruma Indians called them Cuyupa. The
roots are considered fit for use when the herb above ground dies. Sir
Robert brought a few of the seeds of the plant with him on his return
to Demerara.

Two interesting productions have been recently introduced into the
Jardin des Plantes, at Paris, from the Ecuador, by M. Bourcier,
formerly Consul-General of France in that country. One is the red and
yellow _ocas_, which is of the form of a long potato, and has the
taste of a chesnut; the other is the _milloco_, which has the taste
and form of our best potatoes. These two roots, which are found in
great abundance in the neighbourhood of Quito, grow readily in the
poorest land. The _oca_ is cultivated in the fields of Mexico, but
only succeeds in the warmer districts. From the bulbous roots of the
cacomite, a species of _Tigridia_, a good flour is also prepared
there.

Stevenson ("Travels in South America," vol. ii., p. 55) says, a root
called the oca is cultivated in seve