CATALOGUE OF THE TIMBERS OF THE WORLD 141 



it is of a bright colour and is easy to work. This mahogany is one of the 

 most valuable woods which come from the coast, and is specially suitable 

 for panels ; unfortunately the logs arrive badly star-shaken in the heart, 

 or contain other shakes or splits, which would suggest that they are 

 either felled carelessly or suffer damage in transit. It is possible that 

 this may be caused by the logs being hurled by the currents against 

 rocks in their passage down the rivers to the sea coast. They are also 

 more or less damaged by teredo worm-borings. Worm-holes, either of 

 large or small size, on the outside of logs from other ports, do not generally 

 prove to be a serious matter, as they rarely penetrate far. In the 

 Cape Lopez wood it is quite different, for the boring of the teredo 

 worm is found to penetrate into the entire log, sometimes even reducing 

 it to a mere honeycomb so that it is of little value. It is not possible 

 alwaj'S to see the indications on the outside of the log, and even a careful 

 search will fail to disclose the slightest sign of the damage, which is only 

 discovered after it is sawn up. On one occasion such a log was found 

 to contain many hundreds of these teredo worms alive and hard at 

 work. The sawyer obtained some and left them in the mill overnight, 

 but by next morning they had been devoured by rats. He afterwards 

 secured alive a worm measuring 22 inches in length, and upwards of | inch 

 in diameter, which is now preserved in spirits of wine. The piece of 

 the log from which it was taken contains the end of the hole which has 

 been bored, and which measures exactly ^ inch in the largest part. 

 One board 6 feet long by 20 inches wide contained over 70 of these 

 holes, many of which were more than | inch in diameter. The worms 

 work surrounded by a slimy solution which probably acts as a lubricant 

 to the teeth or jaw, working like a tool commonly employed in a 

 centre-bit. The hole made in this manner is at first bright and clean, 

 as cut by an ordinary tool, but after the body of the worm, surrounded by 

 solution, has passed through, it is left as though polished, with an almost 

 black covering. The body of the teredo worm which was found was full 

 of sawdust. It is desirable that this damage should be stopped. Many 

 people would be glad to have an opportunity of using Cape Lopez wood, 

 but are unable to do so on account of this fault. The qualit3^ of the timber 

 is so good that it would well repay the extra price which would be 

 obtained, whatever expenditure was necessary. 



A large quantity of Gaboon mahogany or " Okume " {Boswellia 

 Klaineana) has also been imported from Cape Lopez. Whether this 

 timber comes from the same district as the ordinary Cape Lopez wood, 

 or is transhipped from another port, is unknown, but it is certain that 

 the w^ood is identical with that which is known as Gaboon. The general 

 quality has been better than that shipped from Gaboon itself, and the 

 logs have been more sound and sersdceable, but the claim that it is 



