120 



may l>e seen covered with these epiphytes, while upon. 

 the surrounding trees there are none. The timber is not 

 unlike teak in colour and grain, — hard, durable, and 

 stands exposure to the weather. Por general purposes 

 it is quite as useful as teak, and the Fijians esteem 

 it next to vest in making posts or pillars for their 

 houses. It would make excellent household furniture, 

 and would polish well. When green, it is dense and 

 heavy, and will not float in fresh water. 



The cibicibi, cynometra sp., is a lofty tree, growing 

 to a height of 75 feet, with a trunk 40 or 50 feet in 

 length, and about 12 feet in girth. The heart wood 

 is closely and finely grained, hard, durable, and useful 

 for all domestic purposes. That on the outside is 

 soft and white, and decomposes rapidly. The cibicibi 

 is common in forests up to an elevation of 1,000 feet, 

 but is most abundant in the wet districts, where it 

 attains the greatest dimensions. 



The nol:o noko (casuarina equisetifolia) is com- 

 mon in Fiji, but abounds most in dry localities. No 

 particularly large trees of it were noticed, but in 

 Seychelles it sometimes grows to a height of 150 feet, 

 with a trunk nearly 7 feet in diameter. The timber 

 is dense and close-grained, something like larch in 

 colour, and like it, also, inclined to warp when exposed 

 to strong sun-shine. It should not be cut up until 

 thoroughly seasoned. It is strong and elastic, and 

 w< 11 adapted for house-building purposes. It is hard, 

 and durable when kept dry. The tree grows with 

 great rapidity, will thrive in the poorest soils, and live 

 in very dry situations. It makes excellent fuel, will 

 even burn when green and wet with external mois- 

 ture. The caloric powers of this wood are not excelled 

 by those of any other kind of wood. The Fijians 



