TIIE VEGETATION OF TH13 VIRGIN-FOREST. 119 
gi’eatly resembles ricli cow’s-niilk. The workman, sitting beside this 
“ ehimuey,” through which roll dense clouds of a smothering white 
smoke, from a small calabash pours a little of (he milk on a sort of 
light wooden shovel, always careful, by proper mmiagemeut of the latter, 
to distribute it evenly over the surface. Thrusting the shovel into the 
thick smoko over the opening of the jar, he turns it several times to 
BirmiCATEl) )’AI..V-LE.\F. 
and fro with great rapidity, when the milk is seen to consolidate and 
to take a greyish-yellow ting<;. 
Thus he puts layer upon layer, until at last the caoutchouc on 
both sides of the wood has reached about an inch in thickness, 
when he thinks the ‘‘ plancha ” ready. Cutting it on one side, he 
takes it off the shovel and susjjends it in the sun to dry, as there 
is always some water between the several layers, which, shoidd, if 
