AmMarchj894ym'}   Fair  Forestry  outside  of  the  United  States.  131 
The  great  mantel-piece  was  compound  of  Shisham  wood  (Dalberjia 
sisso),  Redwood,  Walnut,  Boxwood,  and  some  fragments  of  very  old 
Teak  and  Blackwood,  found  in  some  ruins  near  Madras  and  dock 
excavations  in  Bombay. 
The  Teak  is  about  600  years  old  and  the  blackwood  dates  possibly 
from  before  the  Christian  Era. 
The  carved  doorway  of  teak  wood  shown  there  is  of  same  design 
and  general  outline  of  those  used  in  the  thrones  of  different  parts 
of  the  Mandalay  Palace,  but  the  detail  is  more  elaborate  than  any- 
thing the  Palace  contains. 
The  triangular  space  above  the  door  contains  designs  intended  to 
represent  the  City  of  Mandalay  with  the  King  and  his  courtiers. 
The  lowest  tier  shows  the  city  wall,  with  one  of  the  7  roofed 
gateways  ;  on  and  around  this  are  the  guardian  "  nats  "  of  the  city 
and  other  mythological  figures. 
The  second  tier  is  supposed  to  represent  the  King's  ministers 
and  the  highest  represents  the  King  and  his  Queens  in  the  palace. 
It  is  executed  by  a  Mandalay  carver,  under  direction  of  Conserva- 
tor of  Forests,  Upper  Burmah. 
Among  the  timbers  were  the  following  arranged  in  well-seasoned 
slabs,  bark  removed  from  most  of  them,  and  in  various  sizes  and 
shapes — Acacia,  Arabica,  leucophloea,  sundra  and  Catechu. 
Acrocarpus  fraxinifolius  used  chiefly  for  tea  boxes  and  shingles. 
Ailanthus  excelsa  a  soft  wood  like  the  Ailanthus  glandulosa 
common  here.  This  is  used  by  them  for  sword  handles,  spear 
sheaths  and  catamarans. 
For  these  boats,  however,  they  use  a  better  wood,  Gynocarpus 
Jacquain,  so  light  that  its  weight  is  but  20  pounds  to  the  cubic  foot. 
In  heavy  contrast  to  this,  however,  is  the  Hardwickia  binata, 
which  is  one  of  their  ornamental  timbers,  and  weighs  82  pounds  to 
the  cubic  foot. 
Wabo  (Bamboo  gigantea)  is  as  its  specific  name  implies  a  gigantic 
species  of  Bamboo  frequently  reaching  125  feet  and  25  to  30  inches 
in  circumference  and  those  on  exhibition  were  64  feet  long. 
It  is  chiefly  used  in  light  work,  scaffoldings,  etc. 
Bombax  malabaricum  is  a  curious  wood  which  is  white  when  cut 
but  turns  dark  on  exposure,  and  strange  to  say  is  durable  only  under 
water. 
Anacardium  occidentale,  another  member  of  our  Cashew  Nut 
