208 NICOBAR ISLANDS AND ABORIGINES 



coupled with the fact that it is easier and cheaper to cover the 

 soil with coconuts and areca palms, puts out of the question the 

 possibility of utilising the species to any profit. 



The Nicobars produce few trees of any commercial value as 

 timber, and those probably not in large quantities : the best of 

 these are Myristica irya and Ter^ninalia bialata, and of secondary 

 value in this respect are Mimusops littoralis^ Hopea odorata, 

 Artocarpus chaplasha and lakoocha, Calophylluni spectabile, Termin- 

 alia procera and species of Garcinias. 



Evergreen forest predominates, and mixed forest appears 

 only occasionally, but pure leaf-shedding forest is not met with ; 

 and as regards species, there is a marked absence of Diptero- 

 carpus trees. 



It is in the writings of Ptolemy that we find the first 

 probable reference to the Nicobars, for after the Andamans, the 

 next group mentioned by him is the " Barussae," which seems 

 to be the Lankha Bdlus of the older Arab navigators, since 

 these are certainly the Nicobars.* The islands were also 

 known to the same voyagers under the names of Megabalu and 

 Legabalu. 



The Chinese, another race of great navigators in these seas, 

 have records of the Nicobars for a thousand years and more. 



The next reference of any importance is that of an Arab trader 

 who came into contact with the group during a voyage to 

 Southern China in 851 A.D.f " Nagabalus, which are pretty well 

 peopled : both the men and women there go naked, except that 

 the women conceal their private parts with leaves of trees. 

 When shipping is among these islands, the inhabitants come off 

 in embarkations, and bring with them ambergris and coconuts, 

 which they truck for iron, for they want no clothing, being free 

 from the inconveniences of heat or cold." 



Rashuddin writes of the islands in nearly the same terms, 



* Sir Henry Yule. 



t Vide translation by the Aljbe Renaudet, in Pinkertotis Collection of 

 Travels^ p. 183. 



