37 



No. 82. Dragon's Blood, the resin obtained from the CASE 

 fruits of Dcemonorops Draco, Bhime. This species grows in the 4.'>. 

 swampy forests of Palembang and in the territory of Jambi, 

 in Eastern Sumatra, as well as in Southern Borneo, from 

 whence the dragon's blood of commerce is obtained. The 

 plant is said to occur also in Penang and in various islands of 

 the Sunda chain. The fruits which are about the size of a 

 large cherry, covered with imbricated scales, become enveloped 

 at maturity with a red brittle resin which iucrusts them so 

 abundantly that the scales can hardly be seen. It is re.idily 

 removed by shaking or beating the fruits in a sack, after 

 which it is sifted to remove any loose scales or other impurities, 

 the resin is then softened by exposure to the heat of the sun 

 or by placing it in boiling water, after which it is moulded 

 into sticks or balls and wrapped in pieces of palm leaf. An 

 inferior quality is prepared by boiling the pounded fruits in 

 watei and making the resin into a mass, often adding other 

 substances by way of adulteration. Dragon's blood is chiefly 

 used for colouring varnishes, and in medicine as a colouring 

 agent to plasters and tooth powders. Various samples of the 

 resin arc shown as well as of the fruits incrusted with it. 



The upper portion of the Case contains spadices and fruits CASE 

 of species of -Zrt/ace«. 46. 



No. 83. BuAH Zalak. Fruits of Zalacca edulis, Reinw. 

 They are eaten in the Island of Bally, raw, or salted and used 

 at table with rice. 



Note also fruits of Z. wallichianay Mart., from Siam, and 

 Z. secunda, GrifiP., from India. 



No. 84. Spadices of Plectocomia elongate, Blume, a climb- 

 ing spiny palm of Java, Malacca, Penang, &c. The leaves 

 are very long, and the midrib extends at the end into a 

 lengthened slender tail armed with strong, sharp, deflexed 

 hooks, by which means the plant supports itself in the branches 

 of the trees amongst which it climbs. It is said " that the 

 tails of the leaves are very useful to the police in Java ; two 

 of them are tied to a long pole or handle, and used for 

 catching a run-amuck Malay." 



No. 85. Rajah Canes, rough and finished, the young 

 slender stems of Eugeissonia minor, Becc. Large quantities 

 of these sticks were at one time imported into this country 

 from the East for the manufacture of walking sticks, b'.it 

 owing to their liability to split they are not so much used at 



