Brar.—On the Building Materials of Otago. 149 
durability. Mr. Kirk questions all its good qualities, and Dr. Hector says 
« the use of this timber must be guarded against, as it is perfectly worth- 
less.” I hope to give it a much better character. Kamaiis generally from fifty 
to seventy feet high, with a trunk from twenty to twenty-five feet long, and 
eighteen inches to three feet in diameter, but frequently it attains a height of 
from 80 to 100 feet, and a diameter of from three to four. Iam assured that 
trees of this size are quite common on the flat land south of Catlin River. 
Like most hardwoods, this tree does not grow quite straight, but the bends 
are not so great as to become a serious defect. The bark, which is of a 
light grey colour, is very thin, and adheres firmly to the trunk even when 
dry: the leaves are of a brownish colour, about two inches long and one 
inch broad, with prickly edges and a sharp stiff point. The wood, which 
is straight grained, dense, and heavy, has a light brown ground colour, with 
grey and red figures and streaks, and very conspicuous medullary rays. The 
streaks are very curious—they look like the broad streaks of a carpenter's 
pencil drawn at random from top to bottom of the timber, and when dry 
they form a depression in its surface. Kamai has little or no sap-wood 
at any stage of its growth, so may be utilized, however small. The growing 
trees are very much subject to heart decay, few of the oldest ones being fit 
for sawing into large scantling. When sawn up green and exposed to the 
sun, this timber cracks and twists to a great extent. A number of logs now 
in Messrs. Guthrie and Larnach’s yard are almost useless through this 
cause. I find, however, that there is no inordinate splitting or warping in 
timber that has been seasoned gradually with the bark on, and the ultimate 
shrinkage under any circumstances isnotexcessive. The strength of kamai 
has never been tested ; it will, in all probability, stand a considerable strain, 
but may give way without much warning, as it does not seem to be very 
flexible. The bark of kamai is rich in tannic acid, consequently it is suitable 
for tanning leather. An analysis by Mr. Skey, of the bark of towai, a 
variety found in the North Island, gave thirty-one per cent. of tannic acid, 
which is nine per cent. richer than the bark of young oak, the best tanning 
material in England. 
This timber is suitable for fencing posts, house blocks, railway sleepers, 
piles, beams and general framing, but not for boardings or joiners’ work. 
Being prettily marked, it might be used for turning and other small cabinet- 
makers’ work. 
The durability of kamai under the most trying circumstances is, in my 
opinion, thoroughly established. Mr. Kirk says that he found old specimens 
in the forest that were much decayed and worm-eaten, but I have never seen 
any in which the heart-wood was so affected, and kamai used by the settlers 
has never been known to fail. I show a section of a tree cut in Seaward 
