233 
VI. Miscellaneous. 
* ... . . . . . . ( ,. . ..; 
(a) Fumes from furnaces, &c. 
(6) Artificial lighting. 
(c) Destruction by aborigines. 
(a) Fumes from furnaces, &c. A very busy friend of mine often deplored that 
when the Cockle Creek, near Newcastle, Metallurgical Works were first established in 
the forest, and we could see from the railway the gradually widening circle of destruc- 
tion, he had not made a record of the relative resistance of the various kinds of trees 
to the fumes. 
Unfortunately (from the forester's point of view), there are and will be found 
other foci of destructive influence, for it is obvious that other metallurgical works will 
be established in other parts of the State, and their effect on the trees should be studied. 
I should be very happy to name trees for local observers, in order that this aspect of 
man's activity may be studied in its relations to our indigenous forests. 
Schlich, iv, 582, has some observations on the subject, with two photographs 
showing trees before and after the effect of furnace fumes began to be evident. 
I trust that observers who live in the vicinity of smelting works throughout the 
State will make observations in all cases in which the trees have not yet been destroyed. 
The ordinary coal fires of a large city are also deleterious to tree life, though in a 
diminished degree. This does not affect the forestry question proper, but it very 
directly affects private and public gardens, and the welfare of trees lining avenues and 
streets. 
(b) Artificial lighting. The establishment of powerful artificial lights in big 
cities is affecting street trees to an extent which has not yet been ascertained. Mr. 
E. Cheel* has some notes on the effect of the electric lights on the Planes near the 
Sydney Railway Station. 
(c) Destruction by Aboriginal races. It may seem ungracious to draw attention 
to this. The blacks hacked steps in the trees to get animals and honey for food. In 
this he undoubtedly destroyed trees, but the holes in trees utilised by animals, birds, 
and bees were not usually made by human beings in the first place. Then he destroyed 
large numbers of specially selected trees for making his crude carvings upon them, 
often artistic and varied, considering the tools at his disposal. Then he required saplings 
for his wretched wurleys to shelter him from the inclemency of the weather. 
The Zulus of South Africa are much more advanced in civilisation than the 
Australian aborigines, and the forests of South Africa are much less abundant than ours, 
so the figure of a skeleton of a Pondo hut, showing how millions of young trees are used 
up, shows a really serious state of things from the point of view of the forester. The 
reference is to Mr. T. R. Sims' fine work.f 
* " Australian Naturalist," February, 1912, p. 117. f " The forests and forest flora of Cape Colony." 
