173 
prevents its aeration. In proof of lalang being the cause of the trouble 
the grass was carefully taken out of a certain diseased area ; the trees 
in it recovered rapidly, their leaves ceasing to yellow and fall off. On 
the contrary a neighbouring lalang covered plot which had received no 
treatment continued to exhibit symptoms of enfeeblement. Certain 
animal enemies are referred to, but none appear to be serious. 
The author then treats of the enemies of CastHloa clastica, Eicksia 
elastica and Manihot Glaziovii. 
W. J. Gallagher. 
ON SOME VEGETABLE FATS NATIVE TO 
SARAWAK. 
At the present time the natives of Sarawak employ for cookery and 
other purposes a number of vegetable fats whose origin has been some- 
what doubtful or unknown. However during March of this year there 
has been placed on the market large quantities of the seeds which 
provide some of the more valuable fats referred to and I have made 
this an occasion to acquire precise knowledge respecting the seeds and 
the trees which produce them. In the Kuching bazaar three kinds of 
fatty seeds are now to be found, knowm to the Chinaman as Engkabang 
chantong, Engkabang asu and Engkabang changai which are all 
destined for export : in Singapore — according to Mr. Ridley — they 
become known under the generic term of Engkaw r ang or Tengkawang, 
Engkabang chantong (a Chinese perversion of the Malay jantong?) 
is the Engkabang par excellence having fruits much larger than either of 
the others and commanding a much higher price in the market. The 
intact fruit is roughly speaking heart-shaped and may reach a length 
of three inches or more : it is provided with five leathery wings (two 
short ones and three wider and longer ones which are about four inches 
in length) which give it the appearance of a shuttlecock : in the bazaar 
one can obtain only the fat-bearing seed and this is broken up. If the 
surface of the seed be indented with the finger nail a thick oil oozes 
out, an indication of the high percentage of fat contained in the 
Engkabangs. By a simple process the Dyaks extract from the seeds 
a yellowish white solid fat much esteemed by them as well as by the 
Malays to w T hom pig fat is detestable. 
Their method of extraction is as follows : — the seed after drying 
is thoroughly pounded up, then it is steamed over boiling water and 
when sufficiently hot the mass is put into a rotan bag wdiich is sub- 
jected to considerable pressure in a simple press : the oily liquid which 
oozes out is run off into bamboos where it solidifies. The tree which 
bears this valuable fruit is a Shorea (S. Ghysbcrtiana). It is widely distri- 
buted in Sarawak being common in the lowland jungles of the interi- 
or. In some parts e. g. the Saribas, it has been much planted by na- 
tives, the localities chosen being invariably in the vicinity of small rivers. 
The trees attain a large size and instead of climbing for the fruit 
the native prefers to allow the crop to fall to the ground below T where 
it is more easy to collect. During February and March of this year 
