235 
removed by rolling a small ball of it round in the cuts, to the edge of 
which the coagulated gum adheres and forms a dise, varying in size, 
the collectors to the men who export it to Penang or Sin nga pore 
e Gutta is at first pure white, but soon changes to от. and fina ally 
to a Wl red. The water in which the gum is boiled becomes a 
dark red brown, and this colouration is the most distinctive feature 
that this variety of Gutta possesses, and by which it may be easily 
recognised. 
'The air seems to have an analogous effect on the sap to that of rennet 
on milk, coagulating the gummy portions so rapidly, that only a small 
quantity of their watery stuff runs out of the cuts, all the Gutta Percha 
remaining as a soft spongy mass in the scores. 
The amount of Gutta Obtained тй a single tree appears to have 
been greatly over estimated in the accounts that aie been written on 
the subject; and d large yields from gigantic trees have been 
obra quoted as being an average product, which i is clearly by no 
oF had a tree felled that was two feet in diameter (at six feet from че 
ground) and about 100 feet high, е age of which I estimated from 
annular rings to at over 100 years. It gave only 2 lbs. 5 ozs. foy fairly 
clean Gutta, valued by a Malay dealer at $1.20 з cattie or 85, 3d. 
per 1b., so that the product of this tree was worth o 
‘Some say that if Gutta trees are felled in the "height of the rains, 
and when the sap is hers strongly, they then yield more Gutta than 
at ei ee but I have had no means of testing the truth of this 
assert 
* * * * EJ * 
Whilst engaged in collecting specimens and information respecting 
the Gutta producing trees of Perak, I was greatly struck by the exceed- 
ingly small amount yielded by even large trees by the present Malay 
method of ringing the bark, which led me to an examination of the dried 
bark, with à view to ascertain, by a series of careful — i 
bei t n of the whole amount of Gutta contained in a tree w 
ually left in the bark after the usual process o of e беф it had 
bién performed. ` With this object, I had, on the 24th of May 1883, a 
tree of Gutta Taban Simpor felled, and scores cut in the bark, at 
d obtain 
12 ozs. of Gutta. Some two or three days after, I had some of the 
bark removed, and on the 29th I cut some of it up into thin slices 
across the grain, and boiled them in water for a short time, when I found 
that Gutta had been expelled, and remained as a slight and irregular 
rem | 
re-boiling in clean water. By this method, the sample of wet bark 
yielded "т “8 d cent. of clean white Gutta. Another hed sample 
35 was cut up and dried in the sun, and then put into chloroform, an 
some hours, with frequent shakings, the liquid was | 
poured off шне allowed to evaporate, fresh chloroform being added to the _ 
