235 



place to roost or nest in, and in flying over the sugar fields they were 

 very liable to the attacks of hawks, which were remarkably abundant. 

 The sugarcane suffered very much consequently from insect pests, 

 and I urged that trees should be planted about the estates to give the 

 insectivorous birds a chance of doing their work. 



The value of these insectivorous birds is absolutely incalculable, 

 and it is most unfortunate for Mr. Hamel Smith's argument in 

 defence of the plumage trade, that the plume-hunter is a benefactor 

 to the agriculturist, that most of the birds he destroys are either 

 valuable insect-eaters, or birds that living far away from cultivation, 

 do no harm at all to anyone. The trade is unnecessary, indefensible 

 and injurious and should be rigorously suppressed everywhere. 



CINNAMOMUM DECSHAMPStl. 



In describing the Lauraceae of the Malay Peninsula, Mr, 

 Gamble describes a new species of Cinnamon from Singapore and 

 Penang under the name of Cinnamomum DascJuwipsii. This tree is 

 by no means uncommon in cultivated places in Singapore, and I took 

 it for a form of the true Cinnamon Cinnaniomnn Zeylanicum. It does 

 not appear to be wild anywhere here, but has apparently been 

 introduced and occurs in deserted village sites. The tree has a stout 

 stem, and when growing free from crowding by other vegetation, 

 a rounded head of considerable size. The bark is thick and very 

 aromatic, grey outside, red within, the flavour is more like that 

 of Cassia, ( Cuinamomum Cassia), than that of Cinnamon, very pleasant. 

 The leaves are smaller and rounder than those of the true common 

 Cinnamon, dark shining green when adult, bright red when young. 



The inflorescence is rather more lax and not so much branched 

 as that of true cinnamon, but in general details seems to be closely 

 similar. The chief differences are the somev^hat longer pedicels of 

 the flower and th'^ elliptic petals slightly narrowed at the base, those 

 of the true Cinnamon being shorter, ovate and slightly acuminate. 

 The stamens are more slender, and the anther not quite so wide. 

 The fruit much resembles that of cinnamon but the cup formed 

 by the enlarged sepals is thicker, with longer more acute points 

 to the sepals. The tree is said by the Tamils to be a native of 

 the hill forests of Madras, where it is known as Karuvapattai Maram. 

 The bark is collected from old trees and ground up, used to flavour 

 curries, and meat, beef, mutton or fowl but not used with fish. It is 

 collected in the forests and sold in bundles in the market. The name 

 Karuvap-pattai is given as Tamil in Watt's Dictionary for Cinnamon, 

 but this plant is quite distinct from that, which is not a native of 

 S. India. 



