Vlll INTRODUCTION. 



especially in some of the large orders like ' Lauraceae/ which will have 

 to be entirely remodelled. Generally speaking, the only books regularly 

 quoted, are 



1. Hooker's Flora Indica. 



2. Roxburgh's Flora Indica. 



3. Brandis' Forest Flora of North-West and Central India. 



4. Beddome's Flora Sylvatica of the Madras Presidency. 



5. Kurz's Forest Flora of British Burma. 



6. Gamble's Trees, Shrubs and Large Climbers of the Darjeeling District. 



The last-mentioned work being referred to merely as indicating that 

 the tree in question is found in the North-East Himalaya, in the same 

 way as Brandis' Forest Flora shows that the tree is found in North-West 

 and Central India ; Beddome's Flora that it occurs in Madras ; Kurz's 

 Forest Flora that it is a native of Burma. 



A list of other works from which information has been drawn is 

 appended to this introduction, and it must always be borne in mind 

 that, excepting the actual descriptions of the woods, very little of 

 what is here given is new, but has been compiled from all available 

 sources of information. In this way the chief points of information 

 here recorded under each species are 



1. The scientific name with synonyms, so far as the six books referred to above 



are concerned. 



2. The vernacular names selected with as much care as possible and with the 



spelling given according to the most ordinary system and the pronunciation 

 of the word. 



3. The description of the wood. 



4. The geographical distribution, as shortly as possible. 



5. The record of all available information regarding rate of growth. 



6. The results of all experiments on weight and strength that it was possible to 



quote. 



7. The uses to which the wood and other products of the tree are generally put. 



8. The list of specimens used in identification and description. 



To have added also a botanical description of the plant, as is done in 

 Mathieu's " Flore Forestiere " would have doubtless increased the value of 

 the work, but it would have at least doubled its size; and, in the present 

 state of our knowledge of the Indian Flora, would have been almost 

 impossible. Besides, as has been already explained, the number of species 

 of which the woods have been described is only a small proportion in 

 reality of the total number of species of woody plants inhabiting India. 

 But some attempt has been made to notice even the species which have 

 not been described. In some important genera, a list of known species 

 and their geographical habitat has been given, in other genera other 

 species oi note huvu been mentioned, and, whenever possible, notes regard- 



