366 A MISSION TO VITI. 
good grain ; and several other Myrtaceous plants, among 
them the Yasi dravu (Eugenia rubescens, A. Gray), are 
esteemed for their durable timber. A sea-side tree of 
middle size, the Tatakia (Acacia [§ Phyllodinec] lauri- 
folia, Willd.), has a hard wood, useful for axe-handles 
and smaller pieces of carpentry. The Qumu (Acacia 
Richiit, A. Gray), another phyllodineous species, also 
yields a hard wood, even more useful, as the tree is 
larger than the last-mentioned, and supplies the paint 
with which the heathen natives blacken their faces, 
when they dress for war or wish to look particularly 
smart, hence “Qumu” paint. The Vaivai (Serianthes 
Vitiensis, A. Gray), often seen in company with the 
Qumu, produces one of the most valued of all Fijian 
woods ; but the Vesi (Afzelia bijuga, A. Gray), which in 
outward appearance is not unlike our beech (Fagus 
sylvatica, Linn.), having the white smooth bark, the 
colour, and somewhat the shape of the leaves of that 
familiar forest-tree, is held in the highest estimation. 
It is used for canoes, pillows, kava-bowls, clubs, and a 
variety of other purposes, and seems almost indestruc- 
tible. One of the most common tree-ferns, the Bala- 
bala (Alsophila excelsa, R. Br.), is much used for build- 
ing purposes by the natives. Its trunks make excellent 
posts, lasting an incredibly long time, and possessing 
moreover the advantage of being almost fire-proof. 
After a house has been burnt down, these posts are 
almost the only trace that remains. It is also customary 
to make the ridge pole of houses and temples of this 
tree-fern, and to surround it with the Wa-Kalou (holy 
creeper), a species of that curious genus of climbing 
