o66 A MISSION TO VITI. 



good grain ; and several other Myrtaceous plants, among 

 them f.hfiJYXfl] flraim (Eugenia rubescens, A. Gray), are 

 esteemed for their durable timber. A sea-side tree of 

 middle size, the Tatakia (Acacia [ Phyllodinece] lauri- 

 folia, Willd.), has a hard wood, useful for axe-handles 

 and smaller pieces of carpentry. The Qumu (Acacia 

 fiichii, A. Gray), another phyllodineous species, also 

 yields a hard wood, even more useful, as the tree is 

 larger than the last-mentioned, and supplies the paint 

 with which the heathen natives blacken their faces, 

 when they dress for war or wish to look particularly 

 smart, hence " Qumu " paint. The Vaivai (Serianthes 

 Vitiensis, A. Gray), often seen in company with the 

 Qumu, produces one of the most valued of all Fijian 

 woods ; but the Vesi (Afzelia bijuga, A. Gray), which in 

 outward appearance is not unlike our beech (Fagus 

 sylvatica, Linn.), having the white smooth bark, the 

 colour, and somewhat the shape of the leaves of that 

 familiar forest-tree, is held in the highest estimation. 

 It is used for canoes, pillows, kava-bowls, clubs, and a 

 variety of other purposes, and seems almost indestruc- 

 tible. One of the most common tree-ferns, the Bala- 

 bala (Alsophila excelsa, R. Br.), is much used for build- 

 ing purposes by the natives. Its trunks make excellent 

 posts, lasting an incredibly long time, and possessing 

 moreover the advantage of being almost fire-proof. 

 After a house has been burnt down, these posts are 

 almost the only trace that remains. It is also customary 

 to make the ridge pole of houses and temples of this 

 tree-fern, and to surround it with the Wa-Kalou (holy 

 creeper), a species of that curious genus of climbing 



