1888.] Account of the Attacks of the Teredo Navalis, SfC. 315 



its works. And the Engineer-in-charge who bad had considerable 

 Colonial experience, decided to utilize sneezewood for the pile work 

 of all the bridges spanning the numerous small tidal streams that 

 flow into the Zwartkops river ; this timber was of the soundest and 

 best quality procurable, and was evidently selected with much care and 

 obtained at no small cost. It was the longest of its kind that I have 

 ever seen, averaging about 20 feet long and about 12 inches square. 

 Some three years ago, Mr. J. S. McEwen, who was then the 

 District Engineer at Uitenhage, noticed that the piles of a bridge,, 

 not far from Zwartkops Station were diminished in section, close ta 

 the low water mark. At first he thought it was merely the sap-wood 

 that had decayed, but, on minute examination, discovered that the 

 Teredo had attacked the piles, and so reduced their dimensions,, 

 that he decided to recommend that they be removed, and iron 

 substituted. This was done, and when the piles were taken out, 

 and carefully examined, it was found that they had in every case 

 been more or less deeply burrowed into for about nine inches above,, 

 and nine inches below, the low water mark. I have told these facts- 

 to several " old Colonists " of experience in such matters, and in 

 every case have been met by the remark, *' it could not have been 

 sneezewood, the worm has never yet been known to touch it." And 

 I fully believe I would have failed to convince them to the contrary 

 had I not been able to produce proof, which there is no possibility 

 of escaping from, in the shape of the timber itself, showing the 

 Teredo snugly incased in tunnels of its own making. 



I do not think the members of the South African Philosophical 

 Society will doubt the honesty of my statements ; but as it is reason- 

 able to suppose that they, as a body engaged in original investigation,, 

 may assume that I may have been mistaken ; and as it is all- 

 important, that no assertion — and more especially one which is 

 opposed to popular belief — should be received until subjected to the 

 most searching investigation, I send a specimen-piece of the timber I 

 refer to — upon which the labours of the worm can be very easily 

 traced — in order that those interested in the subject may examine it 

 for themselves. 



In the first portion -of this paper I mentioned that greenheart 

 {Nectandra Rodiosi) has long been looked upon in England and 

 Northern Europe as practically a Teredo resisting timber, and that in 

 consequence it has been much used for marine structures, and in most 

 cases with marked success. It so happens however, that it falls ta^ 



