MYSORE AND COOEG. 



237 



very uncertain, and while exceptional specimens 

 may attain to nearly a hundred years, a large per- 

 centage die young, and are of little value for the 

 market. It would seem, therefore, that matured 

 trees of 30 years of age and upwards might be felled 

 with advantage even if they are not dead. "With 

 regard to the colour and marldng of sandalwood, 

 there are at' least four varieties, viz., the Kempu, 

 red ; Bili, white ; Navilu, peacock ; and Naga, cobra. 

 The two first named are distinguished by colour 

 alone, while the two latter possess peculiar marks 

 indicating, in their arrangement, some resemblance 

 to the peacock and the cobra, on which account 

 they are held in the highest esteem, and always 

 command fancy prices. 



" Sanskrit writers make two kinds of chandana : 

 the darker, heartwood, they call Pita-chandana, or 

 yellow sandal ; and the lighter wood Srigandha, or 

 white sandal — It is more likely that these names 

 refer to the two distinct varieties referred to above, 

 and not to any definition of the wood in a single 

 tree — Chandana is mentioned in the Nirukta, or 

 writings of Yaska, the oldest Yedic commentary 

 extant, said to be written not later than the 5th 

 century B. 0. It is also referred to in the ancient 

 epic poems of the Hindus, the Bamayana and 

 Mahabharata. According to the KatJiasaritsagara, it 

 is one of the trees of the Buddhic paradise, and the 

 chariot of the sun is made of its wood bound with 

 gold." Pharmacographia Indica. But red sandal- 

 wood is by far the most abundant and may be 

 described as a pale reddish wood interspersed with 

 concentric zones of yellow and darkish-brown ; it is 

 exceedingly dense, moderately hard; and easily 

 worked with delicate tools ; it is not attacked by 

 white ants, and the contained oil preserves it 

 wonderfully, whether above or below the ground. 

 Weight 56 — 60 lb, per cubig foot, As an aromatic 



