166 THE PAUIS OF AMERICA. 



nuts, as they are imported into this country, 

 are contained in a soft external shell of a dirty 

 colour, and about one-eighth of an inch in 

 thickness ; the seed or nut is covered with a 

 dark brown membrane, but is of a pure white 

 within, and with, generally, an irregular cavity 

 in the centre. The natives of the districts 

 where this palm grows have used the nuts from 

 time immemorial for the purposes of making 

 buttons, heads to walking-sticks, and various 

 trinkets ; but the introduction of the ma- 

 terial to Europe as an article of commerce is 

 of very recent date. They are already, 

 extensively employed for the manufacture of 

 almost all the articles for which ivory had 

 been in use before, as far as their size will 

 permit ; and as they can be made at a cheaper 

 rate, they will probably continue to be so 

 employed. They are, however, considerably 

 more fragile than real ivory, nor do they retain 

 their colour so well. There is a very consider- 

 able difference in the quality of the nuts, some 

 working up with case, while others are so brittle 

 as to be unmanageable and useless. It is 

 remarkable that the vegetable ivory, if soaked 

 in water, becomes soft, but readily returns to 

 its oi'iginal hardness when dried. The micro- 

 scopical structure of the nut is very curious. 



