THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 59 



" Quira. — Very fine wood, tree large, timber 

 hard, heavy, and difficult to work ; resists friction. 

 It is much used. Guayacan. — Large tree, hard, 

 heavy and difficult to work, but very strong ; is much 

 employed in building. If left on the ground and ex- 

 posed to the open air, it petrifies, becoming a silici- 

 ous stone, retaining the appearance of wood. The 

 conditions on which this petrifaction depends are 

 unknown. The figures of the apostles, which are in 

 front of the cathedral at Panama, are of this wood. 

 They are not less than from 35 to 40 years old. It 

 is the same wood known to us by the name of lignum 

 vitse. 



" Algarobo. — Is a large tree, hard and heavy 

 wood, of red color. If properly seasoned, it lasts 

 many years, exposed to the inclemency of the 

 weather ; it is very abundant. Mangle Caballero. — 

 This wood is considered as good as nispero ; it grows 

 generally near the water's edge, is found in great 

 abundance, and will give pieces from 35 to 40 feet 

 long, and a foot square. Alcornoque. — (Cork-tree.) 

 A very large tree ; will give large beams, and wears 

 well. Mal-vicmo. — Is so named by the natives, 

 from its extreme hardness and great size. The color 

 of the wood is yellow. It is found in abundance, 

 and, as it wears well, it is much employed in build- 

 ing, notwithstanding the great expense of cutting. 



M Caoba. — Trees very large, wood not heavy, and 

 easy to work ; stands well under a roof. If not pro- 

 perly seasoned it becomes brittle ; for this reason 

 carpenters object to its use ; it is mahogany. 



