184 



62. Hevea Spruceana, Muell. Arg. — This is one of the trees that yield 

 Para Rubber. 



The scene presented by an encampment of caoutchouc collectors 

 is described by Clements Markham as extremely picturesque. 

 Their huts are lightly built among the trees, and round them tower 

 the majestic mosqueteiro palms and the lofty Bertholletia (yielding 

 Brazil nuts), while in front is the gleaming river with its sunny sand- 

 banks. From the huts narrow paths lead through the dense under- 

 growth, cut by the axe of the seringueiro, to the lonely caoutchouc trees. 

 The collector makes small holes in the bark, to which tubes of clay 

 are fixed, which lead the milk into bamboo receptacles ; going from 

 tree to tree he collects these bamboos, and on his return to the hut 

 the contents are poured into the carapace of a large tortoise. 

 The milk is then subjected to the process of smoking without delay, 

 for if left standing too long the resin separates. In this process the 

 milk is subjected to the smoke of the urucuy or nuts of the Attalea 

 excelsa palm. An iron pot without a bottom, and with a narrow 

 neck like a bottle, is placed so as to form a chimney over a heap of 

 these burning nuts, and the white steam rises in masses through 

 the narrow opening. The seringueiro pours a small quantity of 

 the white fluid, of the consistency of thick milk, from a calabash 

 over a light wooden shovel, as evenly as possible, and then rapidly 

 thrusts it into the white steam. The milk soon takes a greyish- 

 yellow colour, and becomes firm. Then they add layer upon layer, 

 until the caoutchouc on each side of the shovel is about 8 inches 

 thick. The plancha or slab is then finished, taken off the shovel 

 by cutting down one, side, and hung up in the sun to dry, as there 

 is a good deal of water between the layers. (Euphorbiaceoe.) 



63. Hibiscus elatus, Sw. — (the Mount ain Mahoe) a native of Jamaica and 



Cuba, reaches a height of 50 to 60 feet. The timber is valuable, es- 

 pecially to cabinet-makers ; it has the appearance of dark-green va- 

 riegated markle. The fibres of the bark make good ropes. The 

 lace-like inner bark was at one time known as Cuba bark, from its 

 being used as the material for tying round bundles of Havanah ci- 

 gars. (Malvacew.) 



64. Hippomxae Mancinella, Linn. — The Manchineel tree has acquired 



as bad a reputation as the Upas tree for its poisonous and hurtful pro- 

 perties. There is no doubt that its milky juice is very acrid, causing 

 temporaiy blindness if it gets into the eyes, and some persons suffer 

 great pain from incautiously touching it. (Euphorbiacece). 



65. Ilex paragtjensis, A. St. Hil. — The Paragmy Tea tree, a native 



of Paraguay, is for South America what the tea shrub is to the rest 

 of the world. The leaves contain the same principle as tea, and 

 are used for the same purposes, but they are not subjected to such 

 elaborate preparation. The branches are simply placed on hurdles 

 over a wood fire, and when sufficiently roasted, the} r arc knocked 

 off and powdered. 

 The powdered leaves are put into a calabash, called a mate, boiling 

 water poured on, and used at once before turning black and bitter. 

 The drink is also called mate. It is passed round llic company, 



