SAGO. 293 



the wind, and outbidding the cocoa-nut in gracefulness 

 of outline and movement ; the bold look of the flowers 

 suddenly starting from the extremity of the trunk, and 

 proclaiming, as it were by signal, that the time has 

 arrived when nature has completed her task of laying up 

 stores of nutritious starch, and that unless the harvest is 

 at once gathered in, nothing will remain of the produce 

 of years save the receptacle in which it was treasured up. 

 Even the old dead trees, standing like so many skeletons 

 amongst a host of young plants, present an interesting 

 appearance, reminding one of the posts with their many 

 arms over which the wires of electric telegraphs are 

 carried. Mr. Pritchard and myself felled six trees, and 

 carried two logs to Lado, where we made sago of one of 

 them by grating and washing the yellow-white substance 

 with which the inside was filled. The term " spongy " 

 does not well apply to this substance ; it has rather the 

 consistency of a hard-baked loaf, and that taken from 

 the base of the tree has a sweet and pleasant taste ; to- 

 wards the top it was more insipid. For the purpose of 

 collecting sago it is of the highest importance that the 

 tree should be cut down just at the time when the 

 flowers begin to show themselves ; if felled sooner the 

 tree has not attained its proper development, and the 

 quantity of farinaceous matter will not be so great as at 

 the period indicated ; if, on the other hand, the cutting 

 down is deferred until the fruit has been formed, a con- 

 siderable diminution of the quantity of sago meal will 

 be observed ; and the longer such a postponement takes 

 place, the less chance there is of collecting a remunera- 

 tive amount, as the tree, when it has borne flower and 



