444 My. G. Clark on the Cocoa-nut of the Seychelles Islands. 
palm I know, and can only be cut by a sharp and well-tempered 
tool. The form of the stem lkewise resembles that of most 
members of its family, its largest portion being that which rests 
on the surface of the ground. The root is in some cases bell- 
shaped, in others nearly hemispherical ; and a vast number of 
rootlets radiate from it in all directions except upwards. These 
extend to a great distance around it, and form admirable stays to 
resist the strain to which the play of so long a lever subjects 
them; and so well do they perform their office, that I have 
never known an instance of a Coco-de-Mer having been blown 
down. Iam aware that the same disposition of the roots exists 
in most other palms ; but this by no means lessens the admira- 
tion due to such a perfect adaptation of meaus to an end. The 
rootlets are cylindrical, from half to three-quarters of an inch in 
diameter, and consist of a very hard bark enclosing a soft paren- 
chyma. A beautiful exhibition of the roots is afforded where the 
palms have been burnt. The charred roots, almost as sonorous 
as metal, and as brittle as glass, show the great proportion of 
silex which they contain; and the numerous little tubes which 
radiate around have been left empty by the decay of the medul- 
lary substance which filled them. I have seen some instances in 
which the radius of these rootlets exceeds 12 feet. The leaves 
of the Lodoicea are winged and palmated, and bear a great re- 
semblance to those of the Fan Palm. ‘They are largest at the 
time when the stem is just appearing above the ground; and in 
favourable situations they may be found as much as 15 feet 
long (exclusive of the petiole, which is of an equal length) by 
12 feet wide. As the trunk increases in height, the length of 
the petiole and the size of the leaf diminish. Did they not do so, 
the strength of the stem and its supports, great as it is, could not 
resist the effects of the wind with so great a leverage as the 
lofty stem would give. The leaves are destitute of prickles, 
The petiole is stout and grooved from its base to the leaflets, 
the folds of which converge to this canal, thereby pouring all the 
moisture which falls on them upon the stem. ‘The edges of the 
petiole are sharp, and its base spreads so much as to embrace 
about two-thirds of the circumference of the stem; and some 
fibrous filaments, which spring from the lower part of the petiole, 
assist in maintaining it in its position, ‘The middle of the petiole 
presents a longitudinal fissure, which appears like an accidental 
cleft: of this we shall presently see the use. The petiole is so 
strong, and so firmly attached to the stem, that a man may 
safely sit on its extremities, and even swing upon it. I only 
knew one man who would venture on this perilous feat. He 
was a native of the Maldive Islands, settled at Seychelles; and 
among all the perilous gymnastics 1 ever beheld, none made me 
