NOTES ON GUTTA PERCH A. 53 



ascertain the exact nature of Gutta-Percha-yielding trees, 

 but it is the first step in securing the perpetuation of the 

 supply. The botanical investigation of a product or plant 

 simply means getting such complete knowledge about it as 

 to leave no difficulty in the way of recognising it at any 

 time without uncertainly." 



Mr. F. W. Burbidge, who has been recently travelling in 

 the interests of botany in North- West Borneo, has paid 

 considerable attention to this matter, and has been good 

 enough to furnish me with his valuable notes thereon, which 

 I shall proceed to communicate in his own words. I should 

 first, however, remark that Mr. Burbidge had sent specimens 

 of some of the Caoutchouc-yielding climbers to the Royal 

 Gardens, Kew, and from their examination Professor Dj r er 

 has been enabled to come to the conclusion " that Mr. Col- 

 "lins and others are quite wrong in identifying the Bor- 

 "nean Rubber plants with TJrccola Elasiica" and that 

 " Gutta Serapit is undoubtedly the produce of a Willujh- 

 " beia" 



1. 



Gutta- Pcrcha or Gniato-jiel&iiig trees. " Gutta Merah y ' 

 or V Gniato MerahV (Kadayan) " Gniato Merah," ".Parah 

 Masiah" (Musufc). These are the native names on the Lu- 

 was river for a large forest tree often 100-150 feet in height 

 and varying in diameter from 1 to 3 feet. A large trunk is 

 said to yield as much as a picul of prepared product, the raw 

 sap or milk being obtained by incising or " ringing " the bark 

 of the felled boles at distances of two to three feet. The sap is 

 prex>ared by boiling and stirring. The leaves of this tree are 

 49 to 50 inches long, by about 2 to 3 inches broad, glossy green 

 above, but their under-surface is covered by rufus t omen- 

 tum. It has been named Isonandra Gutta by Sir W, Hooker 

 and from the numbers of felled trunks met with in North 

 West Borneo would seem to be the main source of " Gutta- 

 percha" proper. In Perak this is known as Gutta Taban. 



(N. B. The Malayan name " Gniato " is used for hard or 

 inelastic gutta, in contradistinction to " Lechcch," which 

 signifies elastic rubber, or Caoutchouc.) 



B.* Gutta Puiih "Gniato Puti" (Kadayan) Para Buda 

 (Murut). A smaller tree than the last, having trunks 6 to 12 



_ . J i ■ ■ . . . ii I.. . . .... .. . I . I | I . 1 L I 1—— . I | 



* Isonandra Macrophylla (?), 



