Note 93 — Chapter VII
William Johnston translation
The Teka wood (Tectona grandis Linn. Gmel.) employed in India for building houses and ships, is indeed strong and durable; but the dry climate of that country is one of the chief causes why edifices constructed of such timber stand so long. The common people in India build houses of mud and loam, the walls of which are infested by centipedes (Scolopendræ), scorpions, and snakes; so that it is not only unpleasant, but dangerous, to reside in them. F.