200 
NOTE  ON  COWRIE  RESIN. 
called  Kourie  tree  by  the  colonists  of  New  Zealand,  and  is  one 
of  the  noblest  trees  of  the  Pinacese  order,  often  attaining  a 
height  of  over  two  hundred  feet,  with  a  trunk  free  from  knots, 
light,  compact,  durable  and  admirably  suited  for  making  the 
best  masts  for  ships  of  any  tree  in  the  world.    This  tree,  owing 
to  its  great  height,  is  generally  selected  by  the  Australian  honey- 
bee,— a  small  stingless  insect,  not  as  large  as  our  common  house- 
fly— to  form  its  honey-nest,  thinking  to  be  here  secure  from  the 
lynx-eyed  native,  who  is  always  on  the  look-out  for  the  melliflu- 
ous treasure,  which  to  him  is  an  article  of  considerable  import- 
ance,bothas  food  and  to  make  his  favorite  intoxicating  drink  called 
Bull.   But  the  most  singular  part  of  this  honey  business,  is,  that 
the  negro  remains  below,  and  sends  his  gin  to  procure  the  coveted 
prize,  and  she  with  the  most  astonishing  dexterity  and  courage 
ascends  to  the  dizzy  height  of  over  two  hundred  feet,  secures 
the  honey-nest,  places  it  in  a  calabash  suspended  from  her  neck, 
descends  with  the  fruit  of  her  labor,  and  lays  it  at  the  feet  of 
her  sable  lord.     Cowrie  is  obtained  by  making  incisions  in  the 
trunk  of  the  tree,  which  exudes  the  resin  in  a  liquid  form  in 
considerable  quantities ;  it  is  allowed  to  harden,  and  then  col- 
lected in  bags  for  exportation.    The  natives  use  it  as  a  masti- 
catory when  they  cannot  procure  their  favorite  one,  called  by 
them  "  mimi-ha"  or  kowrie  tauhiti.    Kowrie,  in  the  language 
of  the  natives,  means  the  resin  of  the  kowrie  pine,  and  "tauhiti" 
at  a  distance  or  from  a  distant  part.    The  kauri  tauhiti  is  per- 
fectly black,  brittle,  with  a  shining  fracture,  and  a  somewhat 
aromatic  bituminous  odor,  it  becomes  soft  with  the  heat  of  the 
mouth,  burns  with  a  clear  flame,  and  waxy  odor.    It  is  found 
in  masses  on  the  beach  near  North  Cape,  and  is  a  species  of  bi- 
tumen, thrown  up  no  doubt,  by  a  subterranean  force,  similar  to 
what  takes  place  on  the  coast  of  Terre  Firma  at  Cumana. 
Kowrie  resin,  as  found  in  commerce,  is  in  pieces  of  various  sizes 
and  color,  the  latter  varying  from  a  light  yellow  in  the  best 
varieties,  to  a  dark  brown  in  inferior  sorts.     "  The  specific 
gravity  of  the  light  colored  variety  is  1.040,  that  of  the  dark 
1.062.    Fusing  point  255°;  when  burned  it  leaves  .424  of  an 
ash  containing  lime  and  sulph.  acid.    A  portion  of  it  (57.33  per 
cent.)  is  dissolved  in  alcohol  with  acid  properties,  dammaricacid 
C40  H30  07,  HO.    A  portion  remains  undissolved,  dammarane 
