NATURAL HISTORY. 



5Si 



and rises completely naked to the 

 heigiit of sixty, seventy or eighty 

 feet. Near the surface of the 

 ground it spreads oblicpiely, di- 

 viding into numerous broad ap- 

 pendages or wings, nmcli like the 

 Canarian commune, and several 

 others of our large forest trees. 

 It is covered with a whitish bark, 

 slightly bursting in longitudinal 

 furrows : near the ground this 

 bark is, in old trees, more tiian 

 lialf an inch thick, and, upon 

 being wounded, yields plentifully 

 the milky juice from whicii the 

 celebrated poison is prepared. A 

 puncture or incision being made 

 in the tree, tiie juice or sap ap- 

 pears oozing out, of a yellowish 

 colour (somewhat frothy) ; from 

 old trees, paler ; and nearly white 

 from young ones : when exposed 

 to the air, its surface becomes 

 brown. The consistence very 

 much resembles milk, only it is 

 thicker and viscid. This sap is 

 contained in the true bark (or 

 cortex), which, when jninctured, 

 yields a considerable quantity, so 

 that in a short time a cup full 

 may be collected tVom a laige 

 tree. The inner hark (or liber) 

 is of a close fibrous texture, like 

 that of the Dioms papyrifera, and 

 when separated from the other 

 bark, and cleansed from the ad- 

 hering particles, resembles a 

 coarse piece of linen. It has been 

 worked into ropes which ore very 

 strong, and the poorer class of 

 j>eople employ the inner bark of 

 younger trees, which is more 

 easily prejiared, for the piu'pose of 

 making a coarse stuff which they 

 wear when working in the fields. 

 liut it reijuires much bruising, 

 washing, and a long immer^:ion 

 in water before it can l)e used. 



and even when it appears com- 

 pletely purilied, persons wearing 

 this dress, on being exposed to 

 the rain, are affected with an in- 

 tolerable itching, which renders 

 their Jlimsy covering almost in- 

 supportable. 



It will appear from the account 

 of the manner in which the poi- 

 son is jnepared, that the delete- 

 rious quality exists in the gum, 

 a small portion of which still ad- 

 hering to the bark, produces, 

 Avhen it becomes wet, this irri- 

 tating effect, and it is singulai', 

 that this property of the prepared 

 bark is known to the Javanese in 

 all places where the tree grows 

 (for instance in various parts of 

 the provinces of Bangil and Ma- 

 lang, and even at Onarang), 

 while the })reparation of a poison 

 from its juice, which produces a 

 mortal effect when introduced 

 into the body by pointed \veapons, 

 is an exclusive art of the inhabi- 

 tants of the eastern extremity of 

 the island. 



One of the Regents in the 

 eastern districts informed me, 

 that having many years ago pre- 

 pared caps or bonnets from the 

 inner bark of liic Antshar, which 

 Avere stiffened in the usual manner 

 with thick rice water, and hand- 

 somely painted, for the purpose 

 of decorating his iMantries, they 

 all decidedly refused to wear 

 them, asserting tliat they would 

 cause their hair to fall off. 



The stem of the Antshar having 

 arrived at the before-mentioned 

 height, sends off a few stout 

 branches, which spreading neai'ly 

 horizontally with several irregxi- 

 lar curves, divide into smaller 

 branches, and form a licmisphe- 

 rical, but not vcrv regular crown. 



The 



