1870.] Proceeding* of the Asiatic Society. 135 



2. From Babu Gopinatha Sen a, — a copy of a Table 

 shewing the mean monthly variations of the Barometer in the 

 Surveyor General's office, Calcutta, from 1855 to 1869. 



From E. V. S t o n e y, Esq. — a piece of a calcareous tuffa taken 

 out of a Sisri tree near Cuttack. 



The following letter, addressed to Dr. T.Oldham, was received 

 with the specimen, — 



Cuttack, April 17 th, 1870. 



" By to-day's post I send you a bit of limestone which I took out 

 of the heart of a Sisti tree. 



" I do not know whether such a thing is generally known, or 

 whether it is only down here where trees present such a peculiarit}'. 

 Perhaps you will bring it to the notice of the Asiatic Society, if you 

 think it deserves mention. 



" Many trees in the Tributary Mehals have pieces of this stone in 

 fissures in them, but principally Assin, Swarm, Sisii, and Ablous. 

 I have seen a piece as long as 7 inches by 2 inches thick, but quite 

 irregular in shape, it generally is found about six feet from the 

 ground, the wood closes up again after receiving it. The natives 

 use it for eating with pawn, and have a curious way of burning it, 

 which is by putting a piece of the stone with a lighted bit of wood 

 into a handful of straw, then turning a twisted straw rope round it, 

 and swing it round the head for a few minutes, when it is found 

 fully burnt, and ready for use." 



Several members made observations on the specimen submitted. 

 It appeared clear that the calcareous tuffa must have been 

 formed in the tree, and perhaps the lime had been dissolved by 

 the atmospheric water out of the substance of the tree and then 

 again deposited. The only objection against this explanation would 

 appear to be, that most of the trees, mentioned by Mr. S t o n e y 

 as containing pieces of the lime, are growing on siliceous ground, 

 and Mr. Kurz to whom the specimen was submitted, stated that 

 he occasionally met with very small siliceous concretions in some of 

 those trees, as also in bambiis, but never with any deposits of lime.* 



* The specimen, though enclosing portions of old wood of the tree, does not 

 exhibit any such structure as would lead to suppose that the origin of formation 

 can be attributed to insects ; it rather seemed as if the decaj^ed wood had been 



