204 TIMBER AND TIMBER TREES. [chap. 



Dr. Hooker says : " It is found, not universally in 

 India, but in widely distant parts. Throughout Tenas- 

 serim and the Malay peninsula it is called ' Peengado.' 

 It is abundant in the Bombay Presidency, where it is 

 called ' Jambea ' and ' Yerool ; ' in the Godavery forests 

 it bears the name of ' Boja ; ' it is common at Singapore, 

 and I have ascertained that it is plentiful in the Philip- 

 pine Islands. Everywhere the wood bears a high 

 character for hardness and durability; the white ant will 

 .not touch it; it shrinks in seasoning one-eighth inch 

 per foot of surface, and the density is 5 lbs. 10 oz. per 

 foot superficial. It is one of seven or eight species of 

 trees which Dr. Falconer, in his report of the Teak 

 forests of Tenasserim, earnestly requests the Indian 

 Government to preserve." 



Five specimen logs of the Pyengadu, each about 20 

 feet in length, and 20 to 24 inches square, were sent to 

 Woolwich Dockyard in 1863, for trial experimentally in 

 ship-building ; but, as they were found to have exten- 

 sive heart-shake, they were scarcely fit for constructive 

 purposes. If, therefore, the heart-shake defect seen in 

 these logs fairly indicates the character of this wood, its 

 value as building timber would be seriously affected. I 

 am, however, of opinion that this is not the case, and 

 that these were probably some chance pieces which 

 happened to be in the way when specimen logs were 

 required. Three of the logs here referred to were kept 

 for several years at Wbolwich without any good oppor- 

 tunity offering for their employment, and after this lapse 

 of time they did not appear to have undergone any 

 •change, or to be in the slightest degree deteriorated. 



The specific gravity of these logs was about 1176, 

 while that given by Dr. Hooker is 1080 ; the difference 

 is therefore not very important. 



