486 Coco-nuts The Consols of the East 



With reference to these insects I may say 

 they do not appear to be very numerous on 

 Taviuni, and on the plantations I managed I 

 only found one tree attacked (out of a total of 

 some 8,000), and I was constantly on the look- 

 out for more. It is remarkable that there were 

 other palms at the usual distance, round the 

 one attacked, the leaves in some places touch- 

 ing those infested, yet the insects did not 

 injure those other trees at least not during 

 the five years I observed them. I could see 

 no difference whatever between the height of 

 this infected palm and that of the surrounding 

 ones, the stem was slightly thinner ; it ap- 

 peared to be about thirty years old ; its leaves 

 were not of a healthy colour, and generally 

 half eaten away by these insects, the midribs 

 always being left. I asked a number of old 

 Fijians if they could tell me the reason why 

 this palm in particular suffered, and they all 

 seemed of the same opinion, namely, that the 

 sap of that particular tree was " sweet." 

 Whether it was of a different species of coco- 

 nut from the surrounding ones the natives did 

 not seem to know. This may or may not be 

 the case ; I was, however, not qualified to 

 further investigate the matter and settle this 

 point, but it appears to me very probable that 

 some varieties of coco-nut palms may be found 

 which these insects will not attack. 



Since writing this article, another trouble- 

 some insect has developed into a pest on the 



