OF THE COCO-NUT TREE. 115 
The cottages of the inhabitants are always surrounded 
by a great number of palm-trees, more particularly of the 
coco-nut palm ; and those plants seem to thrive best which 
are situated near to the dwellings of the inhabitants. This 
circumstance has given rise to an observation of the na- 
tives, namely, that a coco-nut tree delights in conversa- 
tion. The ashes v/hich result from the burning of wood, 
for culinary purposes, is a more probable cause of the 
luxuriance of the trees close to the cottages, as the sweep- 
ings of the huts are generally deposited at the foot of a 
tree. The cluster of trees which surrounds a hut is called 
a Toddy tope " by the English. Tope is perhaps a cor- 
ruption of our word copse. Watte, a Singhalese word, is 
used to designate every description of plantation. Pot-watte 
signifies a coco-nut garden or plantation. I have already 
stated that the Singhalese almost always construct their 
huts under the dense shadow of palm-trees of different 
kinds. This comfortable mode of defending habitations 
from the direct influence of an ardent sun, seems to 
have in ancient times been practised in Judea (Judges, 
iv. 5.), and it is very generally adopted in all countries 
where the palm family is found to thrive. 
Synonymes. 
Nari Kaylum Tangadra, 
Sanscrit. 
Polgaha^ - - - 
Singhalese. 
Palma Indica coccifera angulnsa, 
Burman. Zeyl. 
Calappa Palma indica major^ 
Rumph. amb. 
Tenga^ - - - 
Rheede. 
Taygana, - 
Canarese. 
Tenkay^ Narica, Kobari, 
Telinga. 
Cagolli, - - 
Mexican. 
Managua Inaiguaruiba, - 
Brasillian. 
Cay DuUf - - 
Cochin Chinese, 
Yai JCu, - - - 
Chinese. 
Cocos Palma, - - - 
Loureiro. 
Cocotier or Cocos, 
Labat. 
Coco or Coco-nut tree, - 
English. 
H 2 
