284 ODOROGRAPHIA. 
inhabitants of tropical South-west Asia, the Malay Peninsula and 
Archipelago, and Borneo. On the Jaintiya Hills the A. Agallocha 
attains a height of 100 feet, with a trunk about 12 feet in cireum- 
ference. In Assam it is found even of still larger size. The tree 
is found both in sandy and clayey soils ; both in the plains and 
on the sides and tops of the hills. The trunk and branches are 
generally crooked. The wood is white, very light, soft and porous 
like deal, but modorous, nearly tasteless, and quite useless, except 
that part containing the perfume. 
The wood is chiefly cut at one period of the year, viz. the dry 
season; the collection is described as a precarious and tedious 
business, as few trees contain the perfume, and such as do have 
it partially distributed in the trunk and branches. The people — 
employed in this business proceed two or three days’ journey 
among the hills, jungles, and mountains, and without discrimi- 
nation cut down the trees as they are found, young, old, and 
withered, but the latter are generally preferred (the trees are 
known on the spot by the Bengal name Tuggur). They then on 
the spot search for the Aggur or perfumed part, which is done 
by chopping off the bark, and into the wood until they observe 
dark-coloured veins, yielding the perfume which guides them to 
the place containing the aggur, which generally extends but a 
short way through the centre of the trunk or branch. In this 
manner they search through the whole tree and bring away only 
such portions as contain the oil, or have the smell of it. Neither 
root, leaves, nor bark yield any oil. The formation of the aggur is 
really the result of disease, sometimes occurring where the tree 
has at some previous time been wounded or injured by a branch 
being broken off. To expedite this condition pieces of the wood 
are often buried in moist ground to decay, and afterwards dug up. 
Parts which have undergone this change become oily, heavy, and 
black. They occur in fragments of various sizes and shapes, and 
when cut out are tested by being thrown into water; those parts 
which sink are the most valuable and are called Gharki. Any 
portions of unmellowed wood are carefully separated from it. 
Specimens which sink but partially are termed Nimgharki or 
Samaleh-i-aala, and those which float Semleh or dregs, and are the 
least esteemed. This fragrant substance is of various sorts, dis- 
tinguished by the names Atid Hindi Agar, which is the darkest ; 
the Samaduri, named from the district in which it is produced, 
