Toktoise-Shell Wood. 495 



firm, and is largely used in building schooners and for 

 flooring houses. As ship-timber it is as durable as teak. 

 It often occurs four feet through and from thirty to sixty 

 feet high. There are two kinds — yellow and black. The 

 former, /. amarella, resembles maple ; the other, /. jpreta, 

 is very hard, dark-colored, and close-grained. Both grow 

 from the Tapajos to the Huallaga. 



MoiEA-piNiMA, the "Tortoise -shell -wood" or "Snake- 

 wood " of dealers {moira or 7nuira is Tupi for wood).— It 

 is called also " Buracurra," " Paira," and " Pao-tavtaruga." 

 This is probably the most beautiful wood in the world, but 

 is unfortunately very scarce. It is the heart (about six 

 inches diameter) of a tree which is ten feet in circumfer- 

 ence and sixty feet high. It belongs to the same order as 

 the Bread Fruit, and is the Brosimxim discolor of Gama, 

 but the Piratinera Guianensis of English botanists. The 

 outer wood is white and hard; but the heart is a rich 

 chestnut brown, mottled with cloudy, amber-colored spots, 

 and is the densest wood in Brazil, if not in the world — its 

 specific gravity being 1.358 — but is rather brittle. It used 

 to come to market in sticks about three inches in diameter 

 and a yard in length, and even these wei-e often worm- 

 eaten and otherwise imperfect. It was worked up into 

 canes and other fancy articles. But at present not a stick 

 or cane of the genuine article is sold in Para or Manaos, 

 Imitations are made by staining the Palo de Sangre. It 

 formerly grew on the Tapajos and the Trombetes ; but it 

 is now found only up the Rio Branco, back from the river, 

 in the depths of the forest, near the boundary-line of En- 

 glish Guiana. The bark yields a milk. The leaves are al- 

 ternate, stiff, elliptical, and about two and a half inches 

 long. Flowers monoecious. 



M01EA.-COATIAKA, or " Striped Wood." — This is probably 

 a leguminous tree, of the genus Machoermm. It attains 



