ITS FRUIT. 425 



upper part of the trunk, contrasted by the dark- 

 green foliage, has a beautiful appearance. The 

 Areka-nut, when planted, takes three years to 

 arrive at a sufficient size to produce fruit ; the 

 wood of this palm is used at this place for a variety 

 of purposes. 



The fruit grows in long pendulous clusters, 

 each about the size of a small hen's egg ; the 

 external covering is thick, fibrous, covered by 

 an orange-coloured epidermis ; and on the thick 

 fibrous husk being cleared away, the nut is disco- 

 vered surrounded by its own immediate epidermis, 

 which often proves difficult of removal. The nut 

 is conical, but varies in some, having an elevated 

 apex and small base, and others a large base 

 and very slightly elevated apex. One nut is the 

 natural produce of each fruit, although some- 

 times double or triple nuts are found, anomalies 

 often met with in the vegetable kingdom.* 



Many of the common drinking and baling 

 utensils in the boats are made from the spathe 

 of the Areka palm ; and I have frequently seen 

 a vessel for holding water made from it, which 

 was not dissimilar to those made by the Austra- 

 lian natives from the bark of the Eucalypti 

 trees ; they use the flower spathe also for nail- 



* New Betel nut will lose, during a voyage to China, 

 from eight to ten per cent. 



