The bird's eye figure is a phenomenon that occurs within several kinds of wood, most notably in hard maple. It has a distinctive pattern that resembles tiny swirling eyes, disrupting the smooth lines of grain. It is somewhat reminiscent of a burl, but is actually quite different. The small knots that make the burl are missing. Birds eye maple is commonly used for refined specialty products such as automobile trim, jewelry boxes, humidors, canes, furniture inlays, guitars, bowed instruments and pool cues. In fact, it was the wood of choice used to adorn the Queen Mary. Items made with this wood tend to be more expensive not only because the wood is more costly, but because it is more difficult to work with.