TURNERY AND ENGRAVING, ETC. 103 



Cocus or "Flowered Ebony" (Brya Ebenus), Partridge-wood 

 (Andira inermis), Pimento (Pimento, officindlis), and Letter- wood or 

 Leopard-wood (Brosimum Aubletii). 



Engraving. For wood-engraving, the Box (B&xus semper- 

 iirens) of Turkey is unequalled, and the use of metallic blocks 

 has diminished the urgency of the search for a substitute for, as 

 wasteful consumption threatened exhaustion of the supply of, this 

 species. The Cape Box (Biixus Macowdnii\ introduced in 1885, 

 is now considerably used : Ebony is nearly equal in texture to 

 Box, but its colour militates against its use ; Hawthorn is 

 probably next best to Box of any known wood, but cannot 

 readily be obtained of sufficient size : Pear (Pyrus communis), 

 used for calico-printer's blocks, the Chinese T'eng li mu (Pyrus 

 betulcefolia), and Pai'cha (Euonymus europwus, var. Hamiltonidnus), 

 the American Box or Dogwood (Cornus fldrida) and other species 

 are suitable for coarse work ; but Jamaica Box (Tecorna penta- 

 phf/lla) is on the whole the most likely successor to Box. 



Musical instruments. While any well-seasoned ornamental 



wood, such as Kosewood, Mahogany, or Walnut, is used for the 



cases of pianofortes, those parts of musical instruments in which 



resonance is produced must consist of wood of uniform texture, 



free from all knots or other defects or contrasts of grain. 



Ancient Etruscan flutes seem to have been made of Box ; whilst 



at the present day the Green Ebony (Brya Ebenus) of the West 



Indies is considered well fitted for this purpose. Evelyn writes 



that Cypress is a sonorous wood, and is employed in making 



harps, organ-pipes, and other musical instruments ; but the 



Silver Fir (Abies pectindta), known in the trade as "Swiss Pine," 



is now accounted the most resonant of all woods, and is used 



for the bellies of the violin and the sounding-boards of pianos, 



Sycamore (Acer pseudopldtanus) or Hard Maple (A. barfcttitm) 



being employed for the back and sides of the former instrument. 



Miscellaneous Uses. Even tobacco pipes consume large 



quantities of certain woods, such as the Bruyere, commonly 



known as Briar (Erica arborea), from Southern Europe, the Myall 



(Acacia homalophf/lla) from Australia, and the Cherry (Pninun 



