52 OTHER VARIETIES OF GUTTA PERCHA. 



Urceola, which grows to the size of a man's body. The 

 bark, which is soft and thick, with a very rough ap- 

 pearance, on being cut, emits the sap in the greatest 

 abundance, and without destroying the tree ; very large 

 quantities might be obtained from a single trunk. 



There are three kinds in Borneo, called by the generic 

 name of ' jintawan ' by the natives ; two are common 

 in Sarawak, viz. the J. susuh, or milky jintawan, and 

 the J. bulat, or round-fruited jintawan. They equally 

 produce the caoutchouc, which, having been analyzed, 

 is found to differ in no respect from that produced by 

 the Ficus elastica and other trees. The natives of 

 Borneo use it to cover the sticks with which they beat 

 their gongs and other musical instruments. The fruit, 

 which is large, and of a fine apricot colour, contains 

 ten or twelve seeds enveloped in a rich reddish pulp, 

 and though but a jungle plant, is one of the most 

 grateful fruits of the country to the European 

 palate. 



Many of the other trees produce sap from their soft 

 and spongy bark, which, on being drawn from the tree, 

 assumes a concrete form, but they are not known to 

 the natives as of any use. Perhaps, as in the case of 

 the oils, the skill and enterprise of Europeans will 

 discover amongst them properties analogous to those 

 of gutta percha ; and when a mode of extracting them 

 less injurious to the tree than that pursued in the case 

 of the tuban is followed, will prove a source of per- 

 manent wealth to the island. 



The celebrated upas tree, Antiaris toxicaria, is 

 found upon the island, but not very common. Of a 



