258 TROPICAL NATURE 



zigzag, branched manner as to form veritable climbing bam- 

 boos. They generally prefer dry and upland stations, though 

 some grow near the banks of rivers, and a few in the thick 

 forests, and, in South America, in flooded tracts. They often 

 form dense thickets where the forests have been cleared away, 

 and owing to their great utility they are cultivated or pre- 

 served near native houses and villages, and in such situations 

 often give a finishing charm to the landscape. 



Uses of the Bamboo 



Perhaps more than any other single type of vegetation, the 

 bamboo seems specially adapted for the use of half-civilised 

 man in a wild tropical country ; and the purposes to which it 

 is applied are almost endless. It is a natural column or 

 cylinder, very straight, uniform in thickness, of a compact and 

 solid texture, and with a smooth, flinty, naturally -polished, 

 external skin. It is divided into ringed joints at regular 

 intervals which correspond to septa or partitions within, so 

 that each joint forms a perfectly closed and water-tight vessel. 

 Owing to its hollowness, the hardness of the external skin, 

 and the existence of the joints and partitions, it is wonder- 

 fully strong in proportion to its weight. It can be found of 

 many distinct sizes and proportions, light or heavy, long or 

 short-jointed, and varying from the size of a reed to that of a 

 tall and slender palm-tree. It can be split with great facility 

 and accuracy, and, owing to its being hollow, it can be easily 

 cut across or notched with a sharp knife or hatchet. It is 

 excessively strong and highly elastic, and whether green or 

 dry is almost entirely free from any peculiar taste or smell. 

 The way in which these various qualities of the bamboo 

 render it so valuable will be best shown by giving a brief 

 account of some of the uses to which it is applied in the 

 Malay Archipelago. 



Several effective weapons are easily made from bamboo. 

 By cutting off the end very obliquely just beyond a joint, a 

 very sharp cutting point is produced suitable for a spear, 

 dagger, or arrow-head, and capable of penetrating an animal's 

 body as readily as iron. Such spears are constantly used by 

 many of the Malay tribes. In the eastern half of the Archi- 

 pelago, where bows and arrows are used, these weapons are 



