BY R. H. CAMBAGE. 563 



westward of that of the Yarran, except on the plains to the west 

 of Grenfell, where the eastern limits of the two species nearly 

 coincide. A. pendiila does not, so far as I am aware, come east 

 of the Great Dividing Range at any point, though it may possibly 

 just do so in the region of the Liverpool Range. It is not 

 uncommon in the western districts to hear of Ringed or Curly 

 Yarran, and by some this tree is thought to be different from 

 ordinary Yarran. They are the same species, viz., A. homalo- 

 2)hylla occurring in two forms, one with the wood having a wavy 

 grain and the other a straight grain. From considerable obser- 

 vation it appears to me that Curly Yarran is not nearly so plenti- 

 ful as that with the straight grain, nor could I ever find any 

 outward sign by which to recognise a difference in the trees, but 

 an axe cut will at once settle the question. Curly Yarran pos- 

 sesses a very ornamental figure owing to the presence of this 

 waving in the grain of the wood. 



Another western tree having a similar feature is A. Cambagei, 

 Baker, the Gidgea of the Bourke district, but in this case the 

 curly form seems to be the more general one, hence it is quite 

 common to find Ringed Gidgea. The cause of the rings in the 

 Gidgea is the same as in the Yarran. One of the ordinary uses 

 of these timbers, especially the former, is for stockwhip handles, 

 and this tapering form assists considerably in developing the 

 rings in the figure. The same result is obtained when the timber 

 is worked up into walking sticks or otherwise used in turnery. 

 Among stockmen's lore I have heard it stated that in order to 

 produce rings it was necessary that the stem of the trees should 

 grow in concentric rings of different colours, and that these were 

 seen alternately in the length of the tapering whip handle. I 

 was never able to find anything of this kind, and have no doubt 

 that the undulation in the grain is always sufficient to account 

 for the feature. In mature trees of Yarran the timber often has 

 flaws inside owing to the operations of some boring insect, and 

 this is the more annoying as these affected spots are often undis- 

 covered till the working up of the wood is well in progress. 

 Owing to this blemish the usefulness of the tree is considerably 



