The Forests of British Guiana. 185 
very efficacious in cases of dysentery or diarrhoea. The 
Indians when their cassava fails, use the starch mixed 
with decayed wood to make a kind of bread. The bark 
is useful for tanning. 
ETA-BALLl is plentiful in low situations near the 
rivers and creeks. The wood is little used. The tree 
attains an average height of about 90 feet, and will 
square 18 inches free from sap. 
Wild Guava grows best in rocky soil. There are four 
varieties of this tree. The bark is a powerful astringent, 
and contains tannin. These trees are not plentiful, and 
the wood is little known or used, but where a light, 
tough and close-grained wood is desirable, it should an- 
swer admirably. Its average height is about 60 feet, 
and it will square 10 inches. 
ARRISOUROO grows plentifully in low situations near 
the river. This wood is of a dark yellow colour, and has 
a very bitter taste ; it lasts long exposed to the weather, 
and is not eaten by worms ; for which reasons, it is well 
adapted for planking vessels and making estates' kokers. 
The average height is about 80 feet, and it will square 
14 inches. A decoction of the bark is used for dressing 
ulcers, and the sap as a remedy for ring- worm. 
KAMARAKARTA is a dark brown close-grained heavy 
wood, of a bitter taste. It is very lasting, and is used 
for boat-timbers, for which purpose it answers well. It 
grows in Mahaicony, and on the Essequibo in low places 
near the river (often over-hanging the water), and on the 
islands in, and above the rapids. Kamarakarta is com- 
paratively a short tree, not averaging more than 50 feet 
in height, but has a large trunk. It can be squared to 
