The same species, and perhaps others also, probably grow wild in Cochin-China and in China; but this has not been proved in the country itself, nor by means of specimens examined by botanists. Perhaps the important works of Pierre, now in course of publication, will give information on this head for Cochin-China. With regard to China, I will quote the following passage from Dr. Bretschneider,[878] which is interesting from the special knowledge of the writer:—“Oranges, of which there are a great variety in China, are counted by the Chinese among their wild fruits. It cannot be doubted that most of them are indigenous, and have been cultivated from very early times. The proof of this is that each species or variety bears a distinct name, besides being in most cases represented by a particular character, and is mentioned in the _Shu-king, Rh-ya_, and other ancient works.” Men and birds disperse the seeds of Aurantiaceæ, whence results the extension of its area, and its naturalization in all the warm regions of the two worlds. It was observed[879] in America from the first century after the conquest, and now groves of orange trees have sprung up even in the south of the United States. +Shaddock+—_Citrus decumana_, Willdenow. I take this species first, because its botanical character is more marked than that of the others. It is a larger tree, and this species alone has down on the young shoots and the under sides of the leaves. The fruit is spherical, or nearly spherical, larger than an orange, sometimes even as large as a man’s head. The juice is slightly acid, the rind remarkably thick. Good illustrations of the fruit may be seen in Duhamel, _Traité des Arbres_, edit. 2, vii. pl. 42, and in Tussac, _Flore des Antilles_, iii. pls. 17, 18. The number of varieties in the Malay Archipelago indicates an ancient cultivation. Its original country is not yet accurately known, because the trees which appear indigenous may be the result of naturalization, following frequent cultivation. Roxburgh says that the species was brought to Calcutta from Java,[880] and Rumphius[881] believed it to be a native of Southern China. Neither he nor modern botanists saw it wild in the Malay Archipelago.[882] In China the species has a simple name, _yu_; but its written character[883] appears too complicated for a truly indigenous plant. According to Loureiro, the tree is common in China and Cochin-China, but this does not imply that it is wild.[884] It is in the islands to the east of the Malay Archipelago that the clearest indications of a wild existence are found. Forster[885] formerly said of this species, “very common in the Friendly Isles.” Seemann[886] is yet more positive about the Fiji Isles. “Extremely common,” he says, “and covering the banks of the rivers.”