404 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SCIENTIFIC ASSOCIATION. 
(especially the Black Poui, Tecoma spcctalilis — a golden 
glory when in full burst, and almost worth a voyage across 
the Atlantic to behold), Yoke (a handsome furniture wood), 
Monkey Balata, Olivier, and some others) to which I have 
been recently assured by a wood-cutter who works on the 
Diego Martin heights, may be added Greenheart and Wal- 
laba ; he speaks very positively on this novel piece of 
intelligence, but the opinions and credos of this class of 
persons must be received with extreme caution ; they will 
name a tree sometimes from its bark, sometimes from the 
smell, and sometimes from the grain or color of the timber, 
leaving out of consideration all the other various points that 
have to be taken into account in determining kindred, or 
classifying a plant. Constant familiarity with the nobles 
of the forest enables any of these men, howeyer, to tell with 
unerring accuracy what such a tree is in their habitual 
nomenclature (however erroneous that in itself may be) by 
simply cutting a chip out of a growing tree with his cut- 
lass ; for in three seconds he is able to note its habit of 
growth and size, the character of the bark, color, hard- 
ness, smell and taste of the wood, and he even obtains 
some idea of its grain. These are sufficient data to allow 
an intelligent woodman to declare that the tree he has 
just cut a chip from is such and such a tree with which 
he is familiar, and no other ; but when, in comparing a 
tree he knows as a living tree with the wood of another 
which he has never seen but jin a wood-yard, from a re- 
semblance in color, grain and weight, he decides that they 
are identical, he may be entirely at fault. 
Some of our good timber trees are found equally on 
hill and plain, as the Balata, Cedar, Balsam tree (Capivi), 
but are more abundant in the latter. 
Others affect the plain exclusively, or nearly so, at least 
