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 
