138 THE PALMS OF ASIA. 



the form of a pap or panado, Avliicli is com- 

 monly eaten \vitli a fisli soup prepared for the 

 purpose. For exportation, this finest sago meal 

 is mixed with water, and the paste is rubbed into 

 small grains of. the form and size of coriander 

 seeds. This is the appearance of sago as we sec 

 it in England, and is too well known to require 

 further description. In whatever way prepared, 

 the farina of sago is inferior in quality to the 

 cerealia ; and the superiority of the latter is 

 sufficiently confessed by the preference shown 

 for them even by the natives of the sago coun- 

 tries themselves. Forrest, after a long eulogy 

 on sago bread, says, " I must own my crew 

 would have preferred rice ; and when my small 

 stock which I carried from Balanibangan was 

 near expended, I heard them grumble and say, 

 ' We must soon cat Papua bread.' " 



The different portions of the sago palm are 

 applied to various economical uses. The hard 

 wood of the trunk, called kururung, is used in 

 their buildings and in their bridges, as well as 

 in making large troughs and similar vessels. 

 The main leaf-stalk, called (/aba-yaha, which is 

 deeply channelled on the upper surface, is of 

 still more general application, being used in 

 house-building, in fortification, and in the 

 palings of gardens and other inclosurcs. The 



