322 A MISSION TO VITI. 



foreign screw-pine, thrives well, especially near the sea. 

 There is, besides the common variety, a proliferous one, 

 having many different sprouts emerging from the top of 

 the fruit. The water-melon (Citrullus vulgaris, Schrad.) 

 is as plentiful as the Vaqo, or bottle-gourds (Lagenaria 

 vulgaris, Ser.), which supply the natives with vessels for 

 their oil. Melons (Cucumis melo, Linn.), cucumbers 

 (Cucumis sativa, Linn.), and pumpkins or squashes (Cu- 

 curbita Pepo, Linn.), have also found their way to the 

 islands, and, in common with indigenous Cucurbitaceous 

 plants, are collectively called " Timo." 



There is besides a number of fruits eaten and even 

 esteemed by the natives, but most insipid to a Euro- 

 pean palate. Foremost amongst them stands the Tara- 

 wau (Dracontomelon sylvestre, Blume), which is also con- 

 nected with native superstitions. The Tarawau does not 

 seem to be regarded as a sacred tree in the light of 

 those mentioned above (p. 87), it not being worshipped ; 

 but it is held to be the business of the dead to plant it, 

 and believed to grow not only in this world, but also in 

 Naicobocobo, the Fijian nether-world, or perhaps, more 

 correctly, the general starting-place for it. Hence arose 

 the expression, " Sa la'ki tei tarawau ki Naicobocobo," 

 literally, " He has gone to plant Tarawaus at Naicobo- 

 cobo ;" i. e. he is dead. It is difficult to guess why these 

 trees should have been deemed worthy of such distinc- 

 tion ; they grow to the height of sixty feet, have flattish 

 branches, pinnated leaves, insignificant whitish flowers, 

 and a tough insipid fruit, only palatable to the natives ; 

 moreover, they are regarded as the emblem of the truth- 

 speaking man, not having, as so many others, a number 



