53 



hard an<l will stand mncli wear. No Eui-opoan varnish, that I am 

 acquainted with, can be compared t(^ it in tliese respects. 



The tree is not a large one ; it is found growing in the big forest 

 of the low hills and some way up the sides of the bigger ranges. It is 

 nowhere plentiful, though it is scattered sparsely over a large area of 

 country . 



About eleven years ago I obtained some seeds and raised four 

 plants from them. Of these, three are still growing in the Museum 

 Grrounds, Taiping. The soil is very liad. the land having been previously 

 mined, so that they have proliably not made the growth they would 

 have done under more favourable circumstances. The largest tree is 

 now 21 feet 7 inches in height, measures 9| inches in circumference, 

 at 6 inches from the ground and 7 inches at 3 feet from the 

 ground. The branches are long, slender and drooping, quite unlike 

 the sturdy growth of the familiar GTarcinias, such as the mangosteen 

 and the glxga. U\) to the present time the trees have not flowered. 

 According to the Malays they are quite big enough to tap. 



I have been unable to comply with Professor Dunstan's request fo)- 

 a l4-])0und sample of the getoh ; although $5 per gallon has been 

 offered to the Malavs for it, no one has vet undertaken to collect it. 



"BIAK": AN OPIUM SUBSTITUTE. 



By L. WRAY. 



nnHE leaves of an indigenous tree are sometimes used in Malaya as 

 an opium substitute. In the State of Perak its use is said to have 

 declined in recent years, owing to the introduction of cheap opium ; 

 but it is still reported to be much in vogue in Patau i and other 

 Northern States. This native report was corrol^orated l)v Pliya Sri 

 Sahabhel), Vice-Minister for the Interior, Siam, who lately visited 

 Perak. He described a tree, the leaves of which were used in place of 

 opium, in the Siamese-Malay States of the northern part of the Malay 

 Peninsula. From his description, I have no doubt, that the tree is 

 jJoJco hiak. He said it was a much worse form of drug-habit than 

 opium smoking, the eifects on its halntual devotees being far more 

 deleterious. 



Puko biaJc is a medium-sized tree, with large leaves and balls of 

 greenish-w^hite flowers. It is widely distributed in Perak. and there 

 is a place near Salak, in the Kuala Kangsar district, named after it. 

 It is known as Keton in Patani. It occurs in the jungle and is planted 

 in the kampongs, and also has been preserved when the other trees 

 were felled and cleared away. Consequently, it is frequently seen in 

 and around villages. Specimens of the dried and powdered leaves, as 

 prepared for consumption, have been shown in the economic collection 



