475 



the Orinoco gives of a stream to the Rio Negro, and so converts 

 Guayana into an immense island. I also found it growing in the in- 

 terior betwixt the Tapajos and the Xingu. The rivers from which 

 the largest supply is drawn now by traders are the Purus and the 

 Madeira. In its native forests it grows dispersed among the other 

 forest trees, two or three trees rarely being found in juxtaposi- 

 tion. In appearance the Hevea is a handsome tree, with straight 

 cylindrical trunk — differing wholly from the Ule — the Indian rub- 

 ber tree (Castilloa) seen in Moskito and Nicaragua to South 

 Mexico. The wood is soft and perishable. The bark, as in the 

 great majority of tropical trees, is not very thick, and is of a grey 

 colour on the surface, but when scraped, approaches the appearance 

 and colour of a light bay horse's coat. This cleaning has to be 

 done, as in moister regions the bark is thickly coated with growths 

 of moss, ferns and orchids. The seeds grow three together, in a 

 sort of hard pod. This pod, becoming heated by the sun bursts 

 when it is ripe with a sharp popping sound, and scatters the seed for 

 a considerable distance around the tree. The seed is exceedingly 

 oily and the oil extracted therefrom, closely resembling linseed oil, 

 is a valuable product. The range of temperature in the Hevea 

 forest is between 70 deg. and 90 deg. throughout the year. Rain- 

 fall varies considerably in different districts where Hevea are found, 

 some districts being nicely divided into wet and dry seasons, each 

 of about six months duration, while in others it rains more or less 

 the year round. In such districts it is more difficult to collect the 

 caoutchouc profitably, as if the stem of the tree is very wet when 

 it is worked, the latex or rubber-milk, spreads over the surface, 

 and is in large part lost. From what has been said it may be seen 

 that the main part of the Indian rubber must be collected during 

 the dry season, although " siringaros," who live near their 

 "siringals," or rubber walks, improve their opportunity by tapping- 

 rainy season. But the trees are doubtless better for a half-yearly 

 rest. 



When- the native hunter has discovered for himself a district of 

 the forest in which "siringa" trees are sufficiently numerous and 

 near together, he first connects them together by cutting a 

 " picado," or path with his bush knife. Having thus discovered 

 their relative bearing, he next straightens and clears out his paths, 

 endeavouring at the same time to take in as many trees as possi- 

 ble in each path, and to make all the paths converge to a certain 

 spot, where he puts up his " barirca," or curing station. This done, 

 and having collected a supply of the old nuts of the Inaja {Maximi- 

 liana regia) or similar oily palm nuts, he is readv to commence 

 operations on the first Hue day. There is some diversity in the 

 manner of taking the rubber latex in the Amazon valley- In some 

 districts they prepare long strips from the inner pith of the foot 

 stalk of the leaf of the Inaja or of the Bacoba palm. These are 

 tacked obliquely round the stem of the trees, with sharpened 

 pieces split out of hard covering of the same leaf stalks. These 

 strips being smeared on the inside with wet clay, form a channel 

 tor collecting and conducting the latex milk into the cup placed to 



