1S40.J CALABASHES. 383 



aphides, in countless numbers, attached themselves to the 

 limbs and trunks, and exhausted the juices ; and myriads of 

 spiders threw their webs over the leafless branches, and com- 

 pleted the. work of destruction. Utterly despairing of suc- 

 cess, the company relinquished the undertaking in the fol- 

 lowing year, and turned their attention to the cultivation of 

 the sugar-cane. 



One of the most useful, if not the most valuable products 

 of the Sandwich Islands, is a species of calabash-tree, the 

 fruit of which is very large and more flat than the common 

 varieties. The calabashes are often from eighteen to twenty 

 inches in diameter, and some of them are said to be large 

 enough to hold two bushels. They are much used by the 

 common people, in conveying fruit, vegetables, and other 

 light articles. For this purpose they are suspen led in a net- 

 work attached to the extremity of a pole, which the kanaka 

 balances over his shoulder. At the other end of the pole there 

 is usually a similar network, containing, also, one or more 

 well-filled gourds, or a large stone, to preserve the equilibrium. 



Rich succulent grasses carpet the plains and valleys, from 

 the low grounds where the cocoa displays its long and ele- 

 gantly shaped fronds, and the waving plumes of the bread- 

 fruit are lifted by the tropical breezes, to the elevated regions 

 where the beautiful outlines of the graceful koa are distinctly 

 traced against the light reddish background of the distant 

 mountains. Excellent pasturage is therefore afforded, in the 

 interior of Hawaii, for considerable herds of wild cattle, 

 originally, it is said, imported from California. 



Among the many plants and shrubs that add so much 

 beauty and loveliness to the flora of the Hawaiian Group, arc 

 numerous arborescent and shrubby geraniums, vacciniums, 

 and daphnes. There are the most beautiful amaranths ; and 

 the crimson flowered dock, the white viola, the orange and 

 scarlet clusters of the agati grandiflora, and the dark crim- 

 som and lilac blossoms of the pelargonium, with the varied 

 hues of many a more humble plant, lend their rich dyes to 



