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 Vago, 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 ;” 7.é. 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 
