296 THE VEGETABLE WORLD. 
a very pleasing alcohol. The stem of the same tree supplies the 
natives with their wood for firing and construction, its leaves are 
employed to roof their houses, and from its folioles negroes manu- 
facture baskets, mats, hats, &c. The compass of this work will 
not permit us to give the history of the different species of Palms, 
which are so numerous and so interesting, from their structure, 
beauty, and utility. We must confine ourselves to the mention of 
those whose form is the most remarkable. 
The Cocoa-nut Tree (Cocos nucifera) is an inhabitant of the 
whole torrid zones, chiefly in the neighbourhood of the seas. It 
rises to the height of a hundred feet, and is surmounted by a crest 
of pinnated leaves resembling a bunch of feathers about twelve 
feet long; the fruit is a drupe as large as the head of a man, 
with a fibrous mesocarpe and a bony endocarpe ; the seed 18 
almost entirely formed of a fleshy white albumen; in the interior 
the centre of this albumen is occupied by a clear liquid, an agree 
able and refreshing beverage, a sort of vegetable milk. A fixed 
oil is obtained from the Cocoa-nut Tree; every part of the tree, 10 
short, is useful to man, either to clothe, feed, or shelter him. 
We borrow from Bonifas-Guizot’s Botany for Youth the follow- 
ing passage, which, whether allegorical or the experiences of an 
actual traveller, gives with some piquancy an idea of the infinitely 
varied advantages which the inhabitants of tropical countries draw 
from the Cocoa-nut Tree and its products :—‘ Imagine @ traveller — 
passing through one of these countries, situated under @ burt 
ing sky, where coolness and shade are so rare, and where habita- 
tions, in which to take the repose so necessary to the traveller, 
are only to be found at considerable distances. Panting mee : : 
dispirited, the poor traveller at length perceives a hut surrounded — 
by some trees with straight, erect stems, surmounted by an = 
mense tuft of great leaves, some being upright and the others : 
pendent, giving an elegant and agreeable aspect to the scen® — 
Nothing else near the cabin indicates cultivated land. 
“At this sight the spirits of the traveller revive ; he collects io 
his strength, and is soon beneath the hospitable roof. ie 2 
host offers him a sourish drink, with which he slakes his : 
é it refreshes him. When he has taken some repose, the + 
_ Invites him to share his repast. He serves up various meats, at 
