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The dakua (dammara vitiensis) may be termed 

 the Jcawrie pine of Fiji. It attains a great size, 

 growing sometimes to a height of 100 feet, with a 

 trunk of 27 feet in circumference and 60 feet to the 

 first branches. This may be reckoned the maximum 

 size of the tree. A living specimen that has almost 

 reached these dimensions has been noticed. Dakua 

 timber is light, close-grained, white, and easily worked. 

 It makes good spars, and is useful for a variety of 

 purposes. Its quality is equal to good pine. Large 

 numbers of the best trees have been felled in the more 

 accessible forests, and large-sized trees are now con- 

 fined to the interior of Yiti Levu and Vanua Lcvu. 

 In some parts of these islands it is common, though 

 not abundant, and it is now rare, if not extinct, in the 

 other islands of the group. The tree exudes an in- 

 flammable gum-resin called ma/cadre by the Fijians, 

 who use it for burning as a lamp or torch. The gum 

 is also used in glazing their pottery. The smoke of 

 the burned resin also yields a black dye, which the 

 Fijians used instead of the laud in dyeing their 

 cloth, tatooing, &c. The kawrie gum is a valuable 

 article of commerce, but large pieces of it can now 

 rarely be got in Fiji. The inflammable nature of the 

 gum has undoubtedly been an important factor in the 

 destruction of the trees by fire, which has extermi- 

 nated them in many localities in the dry districts. 



The </"/,■''" salu salu, or lean solo, as it is termed 

 in some localities, (podocarpus vitiensis), is a fine 

 handsome tree, in its leaves and appearance, closely 

 resembling 1b< v Australian araucaria bidwellii. It 

 does not attain the dimensions of the dakua, and 

 seldom exceeds 60feei in height, — its greatest circum- 

 ference beinn' about 15 i'cet. It is not so common as 



