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 g 
tenor betwixt the Tapajos and the Xingu. The rivers from which 
the largest supply is drawn now by traders are the Purus a 
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 ru - 
ber tree (Castilloa) seen in Moskito and Nicaragua to South 
Mexico. The wood is soft and perishable The bark, as m the 
great majority of tropical trees, is not very thick and is of a gr c> 
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 wit Sjow 1 
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 exceeding > 
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. 1 his done, 
and having collected a supply of the old nuts of the Inaja ( Maximi - 
liana regia) or simitar oily palm nuts, he is ready to commence 
operations on the first fine 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 
for collecting and conducting the latex milk into the cup placed to 
1 / 2 ^ 
