134 TRAVELS IN 
hufbandry. The grain of this wood is fomewhat clofer and 
the color darker than thofe of plain mahogany. Stink hout^ or 
ftinking wood, takes its name from an ofFenfive excrementitious 
odor that exhales while green, and which it retains till perfeftly 
feafoned. It grows almoft to the fize of the geel houty and is 
by many degrees the beft wood in the colony. The grain and 
fhading are not unlike thofe of walnut ; and many fpecimens 
from old trees make exceeding beautiful furniture. It appears 
to be well calculated for ufe in fhlp-building, either as knees, 
timbers, or plank. The flink hout is the native oak of Africa, 
and I believe the only fpecies found upon that continent. It 
may therefore not improperly be called the i^uercus Africana. 
Several other timber-trees of vaft fize were growing here, and 
afterwards met with in various parts of the colony, particularly 
along the fouthern coaft, to the number of more than forty 
different kinds, a lift of which will be given in a future Chap- 
ter ; yet in Cape Town there is a general complaint of want of 
wood ; and the extravagant demand of fix hundred per cent, 
profit has been made there for European deals. 
In addition to the foreft-trees were met with a great variety 
of fmall woods for poles ; and the whole coaft, for more than a 
day's journey to the weftward of Zwart-kop's bay, was covered 
■with thick brufhwood almoft down to the water's edge. The 
greateft part of the forefts of Africa is encumbered with a fpe- 
cies of lichen that covers nearly the whole foliage, and hangs 
from the branches in tufts of a foot to three feet in length. This 
lichen was obferved particularly to be growing upon xhtgeel hout^ 
and evidently impeded the growth of its branches. 
In 
