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attachment of tlie cocos-pearl, tlie following hypothesis could now 

 be formed. Given that the gerniinalion, heing in progress, is stopped 

 by some cause or other, thus preventing the fnitlier development 

 of the haustorium, it is conceivable that the haustoiinm in this state 

 miglit become encrusted by the influence of tiie cocoa-nnt milk, and 

 that from this the completely petritied cocos-pearl would gradually 

 be formed. 



If was now essential to find the reason for any such check in 

 the process of germination and the accompanying solidification of 

 the haustorium, and I wish now to submit the following remarks 

 on this head. 



At the side where 'the cocoa-nut has been attached to the stalk, 

 three thin spots so-called germinating pores, or "eyes", can be seen 

 in the iiard inner shell of the fruit. As a rule one of these holes, 

 the so-called "porus pervins", is closed by a membrane, whereas 

 the two other, the so-called "pori caeci", are furnished with a hard 

 tegument. In germination, the plumule pushes its way out through 

 the porus pervius. 



By way of exception there may be, instead of tliree, two germi- 

 nating pores, viz. one porus pervius and one poi'us caecus, and 

 only very rarely will there be only a porus pervius with both pori 

 caeci entirely absent. Nevertheless a cocoa-nnt of this description can 

 germinate in the usual way. 



It is a different case, however, when there is not even a porus 

 pervius, the base of the inner shell showing no germinating pore at 

 all, as occurs in extremely rare cases. 



Such a cocoa-nnt is known in the Malay language as a "kèlapa 

 boeta", or "klapa boentet" in Javanese, which signifies a "blind 

 cocoa-nut". 



As remarked above a cocoa-nnt witiiout germinating pores is a 

 very great rarity, for which reason they are regarded by the Mahom- 

 medans as sacred. The "kèlapa boeta" is a talisman {tjimat) par 

 excellence, and consequently it is very difficult to obtain a specimen. 



This meeting with the kèlapa boeta furnished me with an instance 

 of the way in which a normal germination is rendered impossible 

 by nature, and I did my utmost to procure some specimens. 



I finally succeeded in collecting eight unopened "blind" cocoa-nuts 

 from the East Indian Archipelago. Two of them came from South 

 Borneo, one from Halmalieira, one from Ceram, one from the North 

 of New Guinea, one from South New Guinea, one from the Aroe 

 Islands and one from the Tanimber Islands, all of which I have 

 collected personally from these several places. 



