12 The Timber* of British Guiana. 



Rays. Visible with the lens ; very fine ; as many as four to six 

 in the width of a Pore and interrupted by them. 



Rings. Not denned; boundary doubtful. For this reason it 

 is not possible to say whether the Pores increase or dimmish in 

 size towards the close of the season's growth, i.e., towards the 

 outside of the Ring. Many tropical woods reverse the order 

 familiar in the woods of temperate climates. 



Soft Tissue of definite arrangement; type of Pterocarpus; in 

 sub-continuous, concentric lines. 



Pith.( ?) 



Radial Section. The Pores are rather prominent, many being 

 large. The Rays lack contrast, are scarcely visible. The soft 

 tissue is scarcely visible without lens, but produces a matt effect 

 on the surface by means of the innumerable, extremely fine, close> 

 parallel, vertical lines. 



Tangential Section as the Radial, or approximately so. 



Type Specimens. Authenticated by Bell, No. 11/2667. 



12. MIMUSOPS GLOBOSA. GAERTN. 



Nat. Ord., SAPOTACE.E. 



Synonyms, " M. Balata. Crueg. Sapota Muelleri. Lindl. 

 " Achras Balata " (10). 



Alternative Names. "Bullet-wood, Bully Tree, Balata, Bolli- 

 tree, Buletre, Melkhout, Balata rouge, possibly also Pferdefleisch- 

 holz" (26); "Balata saignant, Balata des Galibis " (5o) ; 

 " Massaranduba, Barome, Barueh, Purgo in Brazil " (7)j 

 "Buruck" (2). In Cat., Col., Fr. (5), four Balatas (species 

 uncertain) are mentioned, viz., B. indien, B. franc, B. saignant 

 and B. montagne. " Beef wood " (28). " Manil-kara, Bois de 

 Nate" (1). " Belletree " in Surinam; " Paardenbesh " 

 Portugese (20c). 



Salient Features. A very hard, heavy, deep red or flesh -red 

 coloured wood of moderately fine grain. 



Physical Characters. Weight (so far recorded), 55J-68 Ibs. 

 per cubic ft. Hardness, Grade 1, excessively hard; compare 

 Ebony. Smell when sawn, little but curious. Taste 0. Solution- 

 deep crimson. Surface bright. Colour of Sapwood brown, sharply 

 defined from the Heartwood ; width lf-2J ins. 



Bark. About J in. thick, flaking in long, narrow scales; red- 

 dish and woody with a fibrous bast. Surface of log beneath 

 Bark finely striated. 



Uses, Qualities, etc. ' Windmill-arms, posts, house-building 

 very durable, stands exposure, suffers from Teredo and worms " 

 (22). "Suitable for pile-work ( !) scarce " (2). Fades or 

 darkens a little on exposure to the air. Fissile, takes nails badly; 

 planes hard but well; turns moderately hard but indifferently. 

 Specimen is from an inferior log; much better results can be 

 obtained with better qualities. A well-known marketable wood of 



