36
THE ESSEX NATURALIST.
many, but apparently obnoxious to moths ; wherefore these
woods are sometimes used for lining clothes chests and wardrobes.
Camphor wood (Cinnamomum Camphora) smells of camphor,
and camphor is extracted from it, while the Borneo Camphor
wood (Dryobalanops aromatica) has a somewhat similar odour.
The Rosewoods (Dalbergia.) are said to smell of roses ; they
have, it is true, a pleasant aromatic odour, but not one which the
author associates with roses. Sandalwood (Santalum album)
is, of course, famous for its aromatic odour ; opinion seems to
be divided as to whether the smell is pleasant or not. The
Uganda Greenheart (Warburgia ugandensis) is another wood
with a peculiar scented smell ; again the odour only appeals
to some people : it is said that the wood, when placed among
clothes, acts as a deferent to moths. The pleasant smelling
Cigar-box Cedar (Cedrela odorata) is used for the manufacture
of cigar boxes, not only because it enhances the aroma of the
cigars, but because the smell is obnoxious to insects which attack
tobacco. Another wood with a very characteristic smell is
the Raspberry Jam Wood (Acacia acuminata) of Australia,
which smells of Raspberries. Among the woods having un-
pleasant smells are the tropical American Goupia, which smells
of strong cheese, and, from the same locality, the Wallaba
(Eperua falcata) with a fishy odour ; Queensland Walnut
(Endiandra Palmerstoni) has a most unpleasant sour smell,
and Teak (Tectona grandis) has an odour which is usually
likened to that of burnt leather and, in the writer's opinion,
is not particularly disagreeable. The smell of wood is most
marked when it is freshly cut or wet, and the working of
a timber frequently produces a characteristic odour not
otherwise noticeable : this is so with the Port Orford Cedar,
which, although possessing a slight smell when dry, has an
almost overpowering spicy smell when worked; teak smells
only when worked, and Sycamore (Acer Pseudoplatanus), when
cut after being wetted, has a faint smell somewhat resembling
strawberry jam. The odour of a fresh surface often wears off
rapidly ; sometimes it can be brought back by a rub with sand-
paper ; I found it possible to restore the odour of a piece of
Rosewood (Dalbergia latifolia) and also of a piece of Sandalwood
(S. album) from specimens which had been cut for the 1852
exhibition, simply by rubbing slightly with glasspaper. On