GUTTA-PRODUCING TREES. 



[ The following interesting paper upon the trees which produce 

 the " Gutta-percha " # of commerce has been placed at the disposal 

 of the Society by the courtesy of Sir Frederick A. Weld, to whom 

 it has been submitted by Sir Hugh Low, Resident of Perak.] 



Sir Hugh Loiv, Resident of Perak to the Hon ble the Acting Colonial Secretary. 



Straits Settlements, dated The Residency, Thaipeng, Ldrut, 



12th October, 1883. 



Sir, — I have the honour to forward, for the information of His 

 Excellency the G-overnor, a Eeport on the trees producing the 

 " gutta percha" of commerce, by Mr. L. Wray, Junr., Curator of 

 the nascent institution which, it is hoped, may develop into a useful 

 collection of the natural products of this State as the Perak 

 Museum. 



2. The collections, when at the commencement of the current 

 year His Excellency appointed Mr. Wray, were in a very embryo- 

 nic state, and being aware of the careful habits of observation he 

 had acquired as an amateur of considerable attainments in electri- 

 cal and chemical science, and of his zealous pursuit of scientific 

 knowledge in other directions, I requested him to devote his atten- 

 tion to collecting information as to the valuable product known as 

 " gutta perclia" together with complete series of specimens of the 



* [The unknown person who first rendered the Malay word getah (sap, gum, bird- 

 lime) by the Latin word gutta, deserves credit for some ingenuity. The accidental 

 resemblance of the two words, and the adoption of the latter by botanists, may 

 however be misleading as to the true derivation of the term "■guttapercha.''' 

 Gltah, in Malay, is the generic term for any kind of sticky sap which exudes from 

 trees, plants, leaves or fruit \pcrchah means a rag, bit or strip of any stuff. Getah 

 perchah would thus mean getah in strips or pieces (after being boiled), as opposed 

 to the semi-liquid and sticky condition of the raw substance. — Ed.] 



