18 A NATURE WOOING. 



ing its tongue, and abandoned the carcass to the 

 beasts of the wilderness."* 



The palmetto, however, has outlasted the buffalo, 

 and bids fair to thrive for centuries yet to come in the 

 waste lands along our southern coast. Like other 

 palms, it is a true endogen, its trunk being composed 



Fig. 2 Carrion Crow. 



of bundles of elongated woody fibers. It is of no ac- 

 count as fuel, being very soft, porous and full of sap, 

 and therefore decaying before it dries sufficiently to 

 burn. Its main use is in the construction of piles, 

 wharves, etc., as it is impervious to the attack of the 

 ship worm, Teredo navalis L., and very durable un- 

 der water. 



* N. Am. Sylva, 1819, III, p. 2. 



