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place to roost or nest in, and in dying over the sugar iields they were 
very liable to the attacks of hawks, which were remarkably abundant. 
The sugarcane suffered very much consequently from insect pests, 
and I urged that trees should be planted about the estates to give the 
insectivorous birds a chance of doing their work. 
The value of these insectivorous birds is absolutely incalculable, 
and it is most unfortunate for Mr. Hamel Smith’s argument in 
defence of the plumage trade, that the plume-hunter is a benefactor 
to the agriculturist, that most of the birds he destroys are either 
valuable insect-eaters, or birds that living far away from cultivation, 
do no harm at all to anyone. The trade is unnecessary, indefensible 
and injurious and should be rigorously suppressed everywhere. 
CINMiVJOMUiVI DECSHAMPSIS. 
In describing the Lauraceae of the Malay Peninsula, Mr. 
Gamble describes a new species of Cinnamon from Singapore and 
Penang under the name of Cinnamomum Deschampsii. This tree is 
by no means uncommon in cultivated places in Singapore, and I took 
it for a form of the true Cinnamon Cinnamomun Zeylanicum. It does 
not appear to be wild anywhere here, but has apparently been 
introduced and occurs in deserted village sites. The tree has a stout 
stem, and when growing free from crowding by other vegetation, 
a rounded head of considerable size. The bark is thick and very 
aromatic, grey outside, red within, the flavour is more like that 
of Cassia, ( Cinnamomum Cassia), than that of Cinnamon, very pleasant. 
The leaves are smaller and rounder than those of the true common 
Cinnamon, dark shining green when adult, bright red when young. 
The inflorescence is rather more lax and not so much branched 
as that of true cinnamon, but in general details seems to be closely 
similar. The chief differences are the somewhat longer pedicels of 
the flower and th° elliptic petals slightly narrowed at the base, those 
of the true Cinnamon being shorter, ovate and slightly acuminate. 
The stamens are more slender, and the anther not quite so wide. 
The fruit much resembles that of cinnamon but the cup formed 
by the enlarged sepals is thicker, with longer more acute points 
to the sepals. The tree is said by the Tamils to be a native of 
the hill forests of Madras, where it is known as Karuvapattai Maram. 
The bark is collected from old trees and ground up, used to flavour 
curries, and meat, beef, mutton or fowl but not used with fish. It is 
collected in the forests and sold in bundles in the market. The name 
Karuvap-pattai is given as Tamil in Watt’s Dictionary for Cinnamon, 
but this plant is quite distinct from that, which is not a native of 
S. India. 
