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fencing, boat-ribs, blocks for tackle, and bearings. It is unfortunately getting very scarce, as all the more accessible trees were removed by the earlier settlers for fencing and house-piles. It splits very straight, and it is very tough, hence light posts of kowhai, which were easily handled and carted, were preferred to heavier and more twisted timbers. 25. Rimu (Red-pine) is probably the most plentiful and most widely distributed of Otago's timbertrees. When young it is a very handsome tree, with its drooping foliage and cone-shaped outline, but the old trees bear a broken, scraggy appearance. It grows to a height of from 80 ft. to 90 ft., with a diameter as high as 4 J ft. In the dense forest the desire for sunlight appears to have caused the rimu to outstrip its neighbours, for it may be seen in many instances towering high above the surroundingbush. Numerous very fine specimens from the sawmiller's point of view are to be found. With trunks running up to 50 ft. or 60 ft. without a branch, and with very little taper, they are ideal food for the saw, and the grain is so straight, and the newly felled wood so sappy, that no difficulty is found in ripping them into various sizes for commercial use. From a building point of view this must be looked upon as the most valuable timber our native forest contains. With the, exception of the piles, for which the wood is altogether unsuitable, a whole house may be built with it, and a good, substantial, and handsome job made. For the rough work it is strong and easily worked, and for ornamentation nothing better or prettier could be desired. Practically all the output of the Otago mills is used for building, though a quantity is used in making railway-carriages, &c. There may be other uses to which rimu could be put, but, since it is of such value for building, and its end is so nearly in sight, it would seem a pity to look for other means to run away with the already limited supply. 26. Kahihatea (White-pine) grows chiefly in swampy, low-lying land, and it is not generally looked upon as being a good indication as to soil. It grows' to a much greater height than any other of the trees in the Otago bush, and as a rule it is mot by any means a handsome tree. The trunk is usually tall and straight, reaching as high as 80 ft., with a diameter of from 2 ft. to 3 \ ft. The sawn timber is clean, straight-grained, and easily worked. During the earlier settlement it seems to have been a great favourite for building purposes, probably because it was easily sawn and easily worked, and also because there was no difficulty in making a neat and a sound building. Later, however, it was found that white-pine was subject to the attack of the weevil or borer—a small black or dark-brown beetle that bores the whole inside out of the wood. The destruction caused by this insect is very great, and many thousands of pounds' worth of houses are either wholly or partly destroyed by it. Unfortunately, its attentions are not confined to white-pine alone, for many instances are to hand of rimu and other native timbers being operated on by it, and even pianos and other articles of imported timbers have been utterly destroyed by this industrious mite. No means have yet been found of destroying the insect or of checking its progress, and this is a great pity, seeing that the result of its depredations runs into such an alarming amount. Since the first notice of the borer, white-pine has been discarded for building purposes, and it is now used principally for making cheese and butter cases. For these purposes it is eminently suitable, being clean, white, and tasteless, and all the available supply will be readily absorbed by the cheese and butter industries. 27. Miro toromiro, generally known as " miro," is fairly common in the Catlin's Bush. It usually grows to a height of from 40 ft. to 60 ft., with a diameter of 1J ft. to 2J ft. The trunk is usually clean and straight, with the foliage near the top of the tree. The wood is somewhat like matai in colour and general appearance, but it is not looked upon with much favour by builders. The grain is straight, but when properly seasoned it is hard and brittle, and difficult to drive nails in without splitting. Otherwise it is fairly durable, and answers well for making studs, rafters, &c, in building. 31. Tawhai rauriki (Mountain-beech). —There is a fairly large area of this timber on the eastern slopes of the Blue Mountains near the headwaters of the Blackclough and Rankleburn Creeks, which are tributaries of the Molyneaux River. The trees grow to a height of 30 ft. to 50 ft., with a trunk of 1 J ft. to 3 J ft. through. Very little of it has yet been used for any purpose, as it has been somewhat inaccessible. Of more recent years, however, attention has been turned towards it, and some twelve or eighteen months ago a sawmill was started near the head of Blackclough Creek. The timber has a nice appearance, and is being used for building purposes. From all appearances it will be a durable and a useful timber. The large increase of settlement on Greenfield and. Clydevale Estates has opened up a new market for timber, and probably all that can be produced from this forest during the next few years will be taken locally. As a means of supplying a serviceable timber at a reasonable rate, this bush is of considerable value locally, and, as it is of limited size, it would seem inadvisable to look for further means of using it. It does not appear to have been ever tried for any other purpose. 32. Tawhai (Silver-beech), which grows in large quantities in the more swampy parts and about the creek-beds of Catlin's Forest, and also in Waipori Bush, has been hitherto looked upon as more or less having no value. During the past year or so, however, fairly large quantities have been placed in Dunedin for furniture-making ; it has also been largely used recently for planks on railway and road works. It is not of great durability, hence it has been looked upon as of little value for building purposes. The trees grow to a height of 60 ft. or 70 ft., with a trunk of 2| ft. to 4 ft. through, and under favourable circumstances they are very handsome. Many of them are unsound in the hearts, and it is very difficult to burn the useless trunks and branches, as the wood does not burn readily. It might be used in cooper's work, such as making barrels, buckets, &c, and experiment might prove that it could be used for paper-making. There is a considerable quantity of this class of timber in the localities mentioned, and if it could be used for papermaking a good supply could be obtained within easy distance of the Catlin's Branch Railway. 35. Pokaka appears to be found of two different kinds. One has a dark wood, which is very hard and durable, and is sometimes used as studs in building sheds. This species, if it is a pokaka, properly speaking, is rare. The other kind grows to a height of 30 ft. to 40 ft., with a diameter of 1 \ ft. to 2 ft.