the name given to the heartwood of various trees of different species, similar in that they all have wood of a dark color. The most valuable is the heartwood of a tree which grows in great abundance in the flat parts of Ceylon and is of such size that logs of its heartwood two feet in diameter and from ten to fifteen feet long are often procured. Other varieties of valuable ebony are obtained from the East Indies. Ebony is hard, heavy and durable, and admits of a fine polish or gloss. The most usual color is black, red or green. The best is jet black, free from veins, very heavy, astringent, and of an acrid, pungent taste. On burning coals it yields an agreeable perfume, and when green it readily takes fire from its abundance of fat. It is wrought into toys and is used for mosaic inlaid work and other ornamental purposes.