INTRODUCTION. XXXUl 



Malays/' he says^ " frequently assert that the nests 

 are formed fi*om the bodies of certain sea-snakes, 

 but there is no doubt that Agal-agal, a marine cel- 

 lular plant; is the material employed." * On every 

 shore we find the natives acquainted with edible 

 species of sea-weed : the New Zealanders make a 

 palatable sweetmeat from some kind mixed with the 

 juice obtained from the ^^Tutu" berries, and employ 

 the pods (air-vessels) of another large species, for 

 conveying' whale-oil in, tying up the mouth with flax. 

 Each pod, it is stated, holds upwards of a quart, 

 and resembles in appearance a bottle of caoutchouc. 

 Sarcophycus potarum is used as food by the natives 

 of Australia, and portions of its great leaves, folded 

 into the form of a pouch, have been observed to be 

 employed by them for the purpose of keeping fresh 

 water in. The stems of Lessonia, which grows 

 abundantly on the shores of the Falkland Islands, 

 are made into knife-handles by the Guachos ; in the 

 Orkneys the stems of Laminaria digitata are made 



* See, for further account of these nests, &c., " Belcher's 

 Narrative," vol. ii., p. 435. 



