NATURAL HISTORY. 



821 



groat variety of timber trees, to 

 some of which the colonists have 

 given names descriptive of their 

 qualities ; and others they call by 

 the names of those trees which 

 they most resemble either in leaf, 

 in fruit, or in the texture ef the 

 wood. Among the former are 

 the blue, red, and black butted 

 gums ; stringy and iron barks ; tur- 

 pentine and light wood: and among 

 the latter are the she-oak, maho- 

 gany, cedar, bo\", honeysuckle, 

 tea-tree, pear-tree, apple-tree, and 

 fig-tree. These trees shed their 

 bark annually at the fall of the year, 

 and are always in foliage, the new 

 leaves forcing off the old ones. 



The blue and red gums are nearly 

 of the same texture ; they are very 

 tough and strong, and in ship-build- 

 ing arc adapted to framing : the best 

 size is from two feet to two and a 

 half, for when larger the timber is 

 generally unsound in the heart.-— 

 The blue gum, while standing, is 

 subjeft to be pierced by very mi. 

 nute worms, which make innume- 

 rable holes, scarce visible to the 

 naked eye. ^ 



Black butted giim and stringy 

 bark difler very little either in qua- 

 lity or appearance : they are much 

 tougher and stronger than English 

 oak, and are particularly adapted 

 to planking. They will also answ cr 

 for lower masts, or lower yards; for 

 ^eains, or any other purpose w here 

 straight timber is required. If in- 

 tended for spars, they ought to be 

 procured as near the size wanted as 

 possible, for the toughness lies in 

 the outside, and the wood at the 

 heart is generally decayed. Iron 

 bark is not so tough as the two 

 former, but is extremely strong and 

 hardj and runs good from two (u 



four feet : in ship-building it would 

 answer for framing, beams, &c. — 

 In New South Wales it is chiefly 

 used in house-building and common 

 furniture. Turpentine is a small 

 wood of no service but in flooring 

 houses. Lightwood grows to twenty 

 inches, and, from its buoyancy, 

 (whence its name,) is proper for 

 building small craft and boats. 



The oak is distinguished accord- 

 ing as it grows either on the hills op 

 swamps ; the former runs to be- 

 tween twelve and eighteen inches, 

 and when larger is always shaken in 

 the heart ; the grain is short and 

 cross, and tlie wood is apt to fly 

 and warp : — it is used chiefly in ca- 

 binet work, particularly veneering. 

 The swamp oak is the same size, 

 and differs from the other in having 

 a more uniform grain, and being 

 consequently much tougher : in ship- 

 building it would answer for scants 

 ling. Of both these woods the pall- 

 ing and shingles are made in New 

 South Wales. 



Mahogany runs good to three 

 feet, and by its texture can scarcely 

 be known from the mahogany of 

 Jamaica. In shipbuikling it answers 

 Avcll for framing. 



Cedar nearly resembles the ma- 

 hogany of Honduras in its grain, 

 and might be applied to the samo 

 purposes. When growing, it re- 

 sembles the mountain ash both in 

 its leaves and berry. 



Box (so called from its leaves) is 

 a sound and very tough wood ; ite 

 ?ize about two feet and a half, and 

 would answer for any purpose of 

 shipbuilding. 



1 [oneysucklc (najned from its leaf) 



is a soft wood, jitter for joiner's 



work than shipbuilding. At Port 



Jackson its size docs not exceed two 



3 G J feet. 



