441' My. G. Clark on the Cocoa-nut of the Seychelles Islands. 



palm I know, and can only be cut by a sharp and well-tempered 

 tool. The form of the stem likewise resembles that of most 

 members of its family, its largest portion being that which rests 

 on the surface of the ground. The root is in some cases bell- 

 shaped, in others nearly hemispherical ; and a vast number of 

 rootlets radiate from it in all directions except upwards. These 

 extend to a great distance around it, and form admirable stays to 

 resist the strain to which the play of so long a lever subjects 

 them ; and so well do they perform their office, that I have 

 never known an instance of a Coco-de-Mcr having been blown 

 down. I am aware that the same disposition of the roots exists 

 in most other palms ; but this by no means lessens the admira- 

 tion due to such a perfect adaptation of means to an end. The 

 rootlets arc cylindrical, from half to three-quarters of an inch in 

 diameter, and consist of a very hard bark enclosing a soft ])aren- 

 chyma. A beautiful exhibition of the roots is afforded where the 

 palms have been burnt. The charred roots, almost as sonorous 

 as metal, and as brittle as glass, show the great proportion of 

 silex which they contain ; and the numerous little tubes which 

 radiate around have been left emi)ty by the decay of the medul- 

 lary substance which filled them. I have seen some instances in 

 which the radius of these rootlets exceeds 13 feet. The leaves 

 of the Lodoicea are winged and ])almated, and bear a great re- 

 semblance to those of the Fan Palm. They are largest at the 

 time when the stem is just appearing above the ground; and in 

 favourable situations they may be found as much as 15 feet 

 long (exclusive of the petiole, which is of an equal length) by 

 12 feet Avide. As the trunk increases in height, the length of 

 the petiole and the size of the leaf diminish. Did they not do so, 

 the strength of the stem and its supports, great as it is, could not 

 resist the effects of the wind with so great a leverage as the 

 lofty stem would give. The leaves are destitute of prickles. 

 The petiole is stout and grooved from its base to the leaflets, 

 the folds of which converge to this canal, thereby pouring all the 

 moisture which falls on them upon the stem. The edges of the 

 petiole arc sharp, and its base spreads so much as to embrace 

 about two-thirds of the circumference of the stem ; and some 

 fibrous filaments, which spring from the lower part of the petiole, 

 assist in maintaining it in its position. The middle of the petiole 

 presents a longitudinal fissure, which appears like an accidental 

 cleft : of this we shall presently see the use. The petiole is so 

 strong, and so firmly attached to the stem, that a man may 

 safely sit on its extremities, and even swing upon it. I only 

 knew one man who would venture on this perilous feat. He 

 was a native of the Maldive Islands, settled at Seychelles; and 

 among all the perilous gymnastics 1 ever beheld, none made me 



