412 THE EXAMINATION OF EUCALYPTUS KINOS, 



does it flow that sometimes the appearance of the ground at the 

 foot of one of these trees is quite startling. It dries almost 

 immediately, except in damp weather, becoming exceedingly 

 brittle. When freshly exuded it has a distinct smell, which as 

 far as I know, is characteristic, and soon recognised. It is 

 something of a vinous odour. Much of the kino exuded becomes 

 entangled in the scaly porous bark, but one frequently comes 

 across quite a store of the substance through tapping the com- 

 munication with a reservoir which has collected behind the bark, 

 or between the concentric circles of the wood ; the passage gets 

 choked up with indurated kino, but picking off the substance often 

 causes the stream to flow afresh. 



Lindley (Vegetable Kingdom, p. 737), says, " E. robusta contains 

 large cavities in its stem, between the annual concentric circles of 

 wood, filled with a most beautiful red or rich vermilion coloured 

 gum." This description can only apply to E. corymbosa, as the 

 very fresh kino is of an exceedingly brilliant colour, approaching 

 to vermilion, but with a tinge of purple in it. So bright is even 

 the old kino, that I believe I can infallibly recognise the produce 

 of this species by this colour test alone. 



" That (kino) from a species called ' Blood-tree ' is heated (sic) 

 in sheds (sic) by the blacks of Lake Macquarie, New South Wales, 

 and applied to external wounds to make them heal." (Curtis' 

 Bot. Mag., Vol. 69, 4036). 



" This kino is chiefly obtained by wood-cutters, being found in a 

 viscid state in flattened cavities in the wood, and soon becoming 

 inspissated, hard and brittle. Minor quantities are procured in a 

 liquid state by incising the bark of living trees, forming a treacly 

 fluid yielding 35 per cent, of solid kino on evaporation." (Lock, 

 Sporis Encyclopedia). This 35 per cent, is absurdly small, as the 

 kino inspissates immediately ; 95 to 99 per cent, of solid kino 

 would be better. I would also point out that the kino collected 

 from the outside is usually the best, as that which settles in the 

 cavities is frequently contaminated with ligneous matter in a fine 

 state of division (the exuviae of various larvae), which reduces its 

 solubility. 



