TIMBER TREES IN BORNEO. 59 



bourhood of the sea and of large rivers. It is much 

 used by the natives for posts of their houses, which, 

 amongst the Dyaks, are handed down from father 

 to son for many generations. Many specimen^ 

 which I have seen, and which must have been in the 

 river for ages, are as hard when cut as those fresh 

 taken from the forest, and I have never met with a 

 piece of this timber in a state of decay. The water 

 worm (Teredo) is the only insect which attacks it when 

 in the water ; and though its channelling the wood must 

 necessarily much weaken the post, the water being 

 admitted into it does not cause it to rot. On land or 

 under the earth it equally resists the effects of atmo- 

 sphere and white ants, so destructive in tropical 

 countries to most other species of wood. This valuable 

 timber was formerly an article of export much sought 

 after by the Chinese ; and in those ports which they 

 still frequent, is still a source of considerable trade. 



Next in value is the ' kayu kapur' a close-grained and 

 durable timber, much valued by the natives for boat- 

 building purposes. Several kinds of the puhn of India 

 grow here in perfection ; they are called by the natives 

 ' bintangur/ and are well known for their value in ship- 

 building. The 'kayuh rasack' very much resembles the 

 bintafigur, is close-grained, strong, and tough, and is 

 used for rudders, masts, and oars for the trading boats. 

 The mungris is, while fresh, nearly as hard as the iron- 

 wood, and more difficult to be worked; though it is very 

 durable, it is not equally so with the balean or iron- 

 wood; but is a large timber and a very fine tree. The 

 ' rnerbau ' is a fine durable timber, very useful in ship 



