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shores of America. But it is not common, if at all 

 found indigenous, at a distance of more than 20 degrees 

 of latitude north or south of the equator. It is not 

 found wild in Mauritius, and I did not see it in the 

 Sandwich islands. It is of slow growth, requiring 

 ahout 140 years, or more, to reach maturity. 



The tavola (terminalia catappa) is found like the 

 vest over a wide range of tropical countries, cither 

 growing spontaneously, or planted for the pleasant 

 shade of its foliage. In Eiji, it grows naturally 

 on the shores, and on the banks of streams, in the 

 interior of the larger islands. It is also planted about 

 the native towns for its shade. It is a lofty horizon- 

 tally branched, deciduous tree, which frequently grows 

 to a height of 70 or 80 feet, with a trunk from -1 to 8 

 feet in diameter, and sometimes a height of 40 feet 

 from the ground to the lowest branches. The timber 

 is of a light brown colour, with darker veins, easily 

 worked, not very hard nor heavy, and about the same 

 density as teak, which, in outward appearance, it some- 

 what resembles. The timber is durable when kept 

 dry, but decays fast in places where it is alternately 

 wet and dry. It is very useful for house building 

 purposes, such as flooring, partitions, inside doors, 

 &c. The tavola is said to make the best sounding 

 kills. These are dug or hollowed out, like a trough 

 from a portion of the trunk, leaving thin sides, and 

 about 4 inches of the wood at each end. The sides 

 are beaten by two sticks about 18 inches long. In 

 different ways, measures or time is beaten on them, the 

 meaning of which is known by the natives and the " old 

 hands " or settlers. The sound of the lali is not 

 unpleasant when beaten by a practised hand, and a 

 good sounding one may be heard at a distance of 



Q 2019. H 



