INDIA, BURMA, AND ANDAMAN ISLANDS 173 



peculiarly feathery figure is very beautiful, and a log of 

 this character sometimes sells for 10s. per square foot. 

 Not so much used as formerly for furniture, it is chiefly 

 cut up into veneers, and is largely used as panel work in 

 passenger steamers. The timber is called yellow wood in 

 the Bahamas. Porto Rico satinwood is most fancied, and 

 is sold either at per square foot or in short lengths by 

 weight. Some time back the price varied in one sale from 

 1 to 51 per ton, and from Wd. to ISd. per square foot 

 1 inch thick, and one log sold at 150 a ton, nearly Is. 5d. 

 a Ib. A few logs of Benin satinwood from West 

 Africa occasionally come over with the mahogany, 14 to 

 19 ft. long and 23 to 27 inches deep, but are not much 

 appreciated. 



Sundri (Heritiera minor) is an evergreen tree of small 

 size producing a heavy, tough, hard, durable timber, used 

 for beams, buggy shafts, planking, furniture, etc., but 

 chiefly for boat-building. Extensively used in Calcutta, it 

 is the chief timber of the Sunderbund forests, the sundri 

 forests of which are some of the most valuable of the 

 Government properties of India. The colour of the 

 timber is a dark reddish brown. 



Weight about 67 Ibs. per cubic foot. 



Butter Tree or Mahwa (Bassia latifolia), a large deciduous 

 tree 40 to 60 ft. high of the tropical genus Sapotacte, comes 

 from the North- West Provinces. The wood is of close, 

 even grain and very hard, of a reddish colour, something 

 like jarrah, but lighter. The annual rings are indistinct, 

 the medullary rays numerous. Though one of the most 

 important of Indian forest trees the wood is not much 

 used. Seasoned wood is used for house- building, furniture, 

 and naves of wheels. 



Weight 62 Ibs. per cubic foot. 



