CONTINENTAL NOTES FRANCE. 53 



felling). Moreover, unlike the pines of the Landes, the tapping 

 places are broad and not high, so as to avoid damage to the 

 timber. Anyone who has seen sections of pines tapped at early 

 periods and allowed to heal over and grow on will understand 

 how pernicious the system of gefntnage a vie (with deep and 

 long tapping places running many feet up the stem) must be from 

 the point of view of the timber. Still, in the case of gemmage 

 a mart, there can be no harm in broad and long tapping places 

 with a depth no more than that of the sap-wood. At Leiria, 

 they do not remove the stumps of the felled pines (except in the 

 thinnings) for fear of damaging the young growth ; but this is 

 most dangerous, and the Hylobius will show the authorities this 

 some day. There would be no expense, for the glass manu- 

 facturers of the neighbourhood eagerly take stumps when they 

 can get them. The Hylobius, so far, has spared them, as also 

 have other enemies, but they have suffered badly from fire. In 

 this matter of Fire Conservancy Leiria is perhaps the best 

 managed place in the world. At lofty points are established 

 look-out towers. In each tower is a telescope, revolving above 

 a graded horizontal disc, and the moment fire is seen the 

 watcher telephones the direction to the central station, which 

 warns all the forest guards in their lodges scattered over the 

 forest. Probably headquarters asks another look-out station 

 for the direction of the fire as seen from there, so that the 

 junction of the lines of direction from the two reporting look-out 

 stations exactly locates the fire. Thereupon mounted orderlies, 

 always kept in readiness, ride off from the headquarters' station 

 with picks and shovels, which appear to be always used in 

 European forest fires, though never in India. There are various 

 other arrangements, such as sounding a horn, but these would 

 appear to be acts of supererogation. One is reminded of the 

 drums used in some parts of Bombay, where they are certainly 

 most useful. One more thing they might do with advantage — 

 perhaps they do, but it is not reported — namely, bind by law 

 all persons working in the forest, or enjoying any privileges in 

 it, to give assistance, as is done in India. 



At Leiria they have fire-lines, running east and west and 

 north and south, but they are somewhat narrow — none over 

 30 feet. 



All the rest of the arrangements in this forest are on the same 

 thorough scale — so good, indeed, that at first sight one would 



