256 THE TIMBERS OF THE WORLD 



early life, growing more slowly at a later period ; the annual growth 

 in both early and later life varying considerably from year to year. The 

 medullary rays are clearly marked, and are parallel on the transverse 

 section. They stand out from the soft grain, giving, with the concentric 

 layer, somewhat the appearance of a miniature honeycomb. When cut 

 on the quarter, these concentric rings appear like thin red stripes, much 

 darker than the general colour, and the medullary rays are strongly 

 marked, as in the plane tree. The open pores shine brightly all over the 

 surface with specks of gum. 



Serayah. Hopca sp., or Shorea leprosula, Miq., or S. parvifolia, Dyer. 

 Weight, 22 lbs. 2 oz. Malay Peninsula, Borneo. 



The product of this tree has been imported from the Malay Peninsula, 

 Borneo, and from Singapore, mostly in sawn square planks and boards, 

 and a few logs hewn square. The converted pieces have been cut out 

 free from all defect, and the wood has been called by a variety of 

 names such as East Indian mahogany and East Indian cedar, as well 

 as by its proper name of serayah. It is light in weight, and so 

 similar in colour and appearance to Gaboon mahogany {Boswellia 

 Klaineana) that individual pieces when planed can hardly be distin- 

 guished from it by the naked eye. The section end, however, shows 

 some degree of difference. A considerable variation has been found in 

 different shipments in texture, quality, and weight, but it is all very 

 liable to warp and twist, and this timber should never be used in any 

 position where it is not fixed and tied down. It is a good substitute for 

 mahogany in cheap work, or for cheap cigar-boxes, but the grain is of a 

 woolly, spongy nature, and it is difficult and costly to obtain a smooth 

 finish from the tool. 



The annual layers are strongly defined, the pores are irregularly placed 

 and uneven in size. The medullary rays are confused and ill-defined, 

 but show very strongly on the radial section as in sycamore and beech. 



Service-tree. Pyrus torminalis, Ehrh. Weight, 39 lbs. 13 oz. Europe, 

 North America. 



The wood is hard and close-grained, with a smooth texture, and is 

 of a yellowish-red with lighter coloured streaks. Elwes and Henry 

 say it "is unknown as a timber tree in the trade, owing to its scarcity. 

 Evelyn says that ' the timber of the sorb is useful to the joiner, of which 

 I have seen a room curiously wainscotted ; also to the engraver of wood- 

 cuts, and for most that the wild pear tree serves.' " 



The numerous pores, which are very small, are quite regular. The 

 medullary rays are hardly discernible even with the aid of the magnify- 

 ing lens (12 X ). 



