M. Humboldt and his companions,in the course of their travels, heard anaccount of a tree which grows in thevalleys of Aragua, the juice of which isa nourishing milk, and which, from thatcircumstance, has received the name of the cow tree. The tree in its generalaspect resembles the chrysophyllumcainito; its leaves are oblong, pointed,leathery, and alternate, marked withlateral veins, projecting downwards,they are parallel, and are ten incheslong. When incisions are made intothe trunk, it discharges abundantly aglutinous milk, moderately thick, with-out any acridness, and exhaling anagreeable balsamic odour. The travel-lers drank considerable quantities of itwithout experiencing any injuriouseffects; its viscidity only rendering itrather unpleasant. The superintendentof the plantation assured them that thenegroes acquire flesh during the seasonin which the cow-tree yields the great-est quantity of milk. When this fluidis exposed to the air, perhaps, in conse-quence of the absorption of the oxygenof the atmosphere, its surface becomescovered with membranes of a substancethat appears to be of a decided animalnature, yellowish, thready, and of acheesy consistence. These membranes,when separated from the more aqueouspart of the fluid, are almost as elastic ascaoutchouc; but at the same time theyare as much disposed to become putridas gelatine. The natives give the nameof cheese to the coagulum, which isseparated by the contact of the air; inthe course of five or six days it becomessour. The milk, kept for some time ina corked phial, had deposited a littlecoagulum, and still exhaled its balsamicodour. If the recent juice be mixedwith cold water, the coagulum is formedin small quantity only; but the separa-tion of the viscid membranes occurs when when it is placed in contact with nitricacid. This remarkable tree seems to bepeculiar to the Cordilliere du Littoral,especially from Barbula to the lake ofMaracaybo. There are likewise sometraces of it near the village of San Mateo;and, according to the account of M.Bredmeyer, in the valley of Caucagua,three days’ journey to the east of theCaraccas. This naturalist has likewisedescribed the vegetable milk of the cow-tree as possessing an agreeable flavourand an aromatic odour: the natives ofCaucagua call it the milk-tree.