PREFACE 



have been quoted which have been found to be pitfalls in con- 

 nexion with the subject ; hence the list does not pretend to 

 be complete. The alternative popular and vernacular names in 

 foreign languages have not been quoted, when they are merely 

 such as can be found in a dictionary; but when they have a local 

 value only, and may therefore lead the student astray, I have 

 quoted them as far as possible. Exception has been made in 

 the case of the names in the Indian dialects, inasmuch as they 

 are very numerous and are readily accessible in the works of 

 Gamble, Brandis and Watts. 



All quotations from writers upon Forestry, etc., are followed 

 by a number corresponding to a list given at the end of the volume. 

 With the exception of those from Noerdlinger, Gamble, Wiesner 

 and Mathieu they are confined to details of the uses, physical 

 qualities, origin of woods, and general information about them. 

 I have described all woods which I have met with upon the 

 British Market, and those which have been sent me from the 

 Colonies as being useful and abundant, and also a few which, 

 though unknown on this market, commend themselves to me as 

 timbers of good quality which are likely to be heard of in the 

 future. 



I have not attempted a Key to the species, as I consider that the 

 knowledge of the structure of wood is not sufficiently advanced 

 to permit of the construction of one which shall be in harmony 

 with the Natural system of classification. I have a Key which 

 often enables me to refer an unknown wood to its Genus, but the 

 Keys that have been published so far are so unsatisfactory, that I 

 have hesitated to add another empirical guide to those already 

 existing. I believe that when it has been decided to what extent 

 two kinds of Medullary rays are present in woods of the Dicotyle- 

 donous Trees, a truly scientific Key can be constructed ; but this 

 entails a prolonged investigation for which I have not, so far, had 

 leisure. 



All the genera mentioned in the descriptive part of the book are 

 represented by photo-micrographs, except where a single illus- 

 tration serves for more than one genus. The illustrations are 

 types, and are reliable, if allowance be made for variation in 

 size and number of the pores and rays. 



The scale of magnification is three times the actual size, and 

 is designed to show the appearance of the transverse section as 

 seen by means of an ordinary hand lens. Wherever there are 

 two or more distinct types of the same genus described, separate 

 illustrations have been provided, and the specific name is then 

 quoted. In every case where possible, the photographs have 

 been arranged with the Medullary rays running in the same 

 direction, the pith side downward. As the illustrations are not 



viii 



