258 TROPICAL NATURE II 
zigzag, branched manner as to form veritable climbing bam- 
boos. They generally prefer dry and upland stations, though 
some grow near the banks of rivers, and a few in the thick 
forests, and, in South America, in flooded tracts. They often 
form dense thickets where the forests have been cleared away, 
and owing to their great utility they are cultivated or pre- 
served near native houses and villages, and in such situations 
often give a finishing charm to the landscape. 
Uses of the Bamboo 
Perhaps more than any other single type of vegetation, the 
bamboo seems specially adapted for the use of half-civilised 
man in a wild tropical country ; and the purposes to which it 
is applied are almost endless. It is a natural column or 
cylinder, very straight, uniform in thickness, of a compact and 
solid texture, and with a smooth, flinty, naturally-polished, 
external skin. It is divided into ringed joints at regular 
intervals which correspond to septa or partitions within, so 
that each joint forms a perfectly closed and water-tight vessel. 
Owing to its hollowness, the hardness of the external skin, 
and the existence of the joints and partitions, it is wonder- 
fully strong in proportion to its weight. It can be found of 
many distinct sizes and proportions, light or heavy, long or 
short-jointed, and varying from the size of a reed to that of a 
tall and slender palm-tree. It can be split with great facility 
and accuracy, and, owing to its being hollow, it can be easily 
cut across or notched with a sharp knife or hatchet. It is 
excessively strong and highly elastic, and whether green or - 
dry is almost entirely free from any peculiar taste or smell. 
The way in which these various qualities of the bamboo 
render it so valuable will be best shown by giving a brief 
account of some of the uses to which it is applied in the 
Malay Archipelago. 
Several effective weapons are easily made from bamboo. 
By cutting off the end very obliquely just beyond a joint, a 
very sharp cutting point is produced suitable for a spear, 
dagger, or arrow-head, and capable of penetrating an animal’s 
body as readily as iron. Such spears are constantly used by 
many of the Malay tribes. In the eastern half of the Archi- 
pelago, where bows and arrows are used, these weapons are 
