Year: 1860




Among the great variety of trees, nuts and
fruits that abound in the productive region
OF British Guiana, there is nut the seed of
tree, which Is more remarkable aud Curl
GUS than all the others. This wonderful nut
slightly resembles bitter walnut in external
appearance, yet It often attains to the size of
an English walnut. II grows with smooth
husk or rind covering a thin shell. When
dried, the outside of the shell is of dark
brown color, while the inside is whitish, with
beautiful pearly surface. The kernel of the
nut grows in the form of snake, as it lies
coiled upon the ground. One end is large,
resembling the head of the snake, and from
this IL gradually tapers, in coils TO the other
extremity. The entire length Of the kernel,
if uncoiled, would be from six TO eight
inches, according to the size Of the nut.
When fresh from the tree, the kernel may be
thus uncoiled, and if ifsuspended in a bottle of
spiriH, it appears like a miniature snake


While the nut is green, the kernel is white,
and fills the she'll but when it ripens, and has
been kept for long time, the Kernel becomes
sunken, hard, and of dark, woody appear
ance, more nearly resembling a dried snake
than any thing else with which we can COM
pare it. The serpentine form of the embroy
may be distinctly observed, on first opening
the shell, although it is entirely covered by a
thin, brownish, silky skin. This skin NAV
be easily removed, and then the perfect form
OF the snake appears, with coils more dis
tinctly separate than in the real snake The
spaces within the coils of green nut are
filled with downy, or silky substance, which
hardens when drying, yet it is easily re-
moved. When vegetating, its root-germ
springs from the small end of the embroy.
Under microscope, the appearance Of the
kernel is very much like that of a piece of
coarse-grained maple-sugar.


The traveller who discovered and named the
Victoria Regid--Sir R. H. Schomburgh-also
discovered and named this remarkable nut
He first saw it in Demerara, and gave it the
name of ophiocdryon parGdorum, or paradox
ical snake-nut. The snake-nut tree, which
bears this singular seed, is said to belong to
the soap-nut family. Specimens Of this re-
markable vegetable production were sent to
the exhibition at the Crystal Palace at Lon
don in 1851 also at the exhibition in Dublin.
A few of these nuts were recently brought to
New York by Mr.. Bernhard Rcs, who was a
resident Of Demerara for twenty years, and
for several years the Venezuelan Consul in
British Guianna. To him are we indebted
for the possession Of specimen of this great
curiosity, and for most of the facts pertaining
to it.


The snake-nut is truly among the most re-
markable and seemingly paradoxical pro-
ductions of the vegetable kingdom. Why
the kernel of a nut growing on certain kind
OF a tree should invariably assume the form
of a snake in coiled position is one of the
mysteries of nature which she does not reveal
to casual observers. Having made extensive,
yet fruitless, researches in the most complete
works on natural history and botany for some
account Of this mysterious nut, we have come
to the conclusion that its history has not been
recorded.


The natives regard this nut as warning
of danger, because where il grows there Is
found venomous snake, the bite of which is
certain death. While the voyagers into the
interior are selecting place for their nights
encampment, should they chance to discover
any of these snake-nuts upon the ground,
they quickly abandon the site, return to their
boat, and proceed to select another place
where the nuts are not found. The coexist-
ence Of this nut and the snake in the same
locaIty Is SUBJECT which will be left for the
imagination of our readers, as we have not
been able to CLEAN any, facts which serve TO-
explain why they are thus companions. D.!