17,4 Merrill: Comments on Cook’s Theory 381 
Being thoroughly familiar with Hibiscus tiliaceus as it occurs 
in nature in the Old World, it is difficult for me to conceive how 
any botanist could seriously advance the argument that it is a 
native of tropical America transmitted to the Old World by the 
primitive Polynesians and, as a corollary, attempt to prove inter- 
communication between Polynesia and tropical America in pre- 
historic times on the basis of the present pantropic distribution 
of this species. That a limited intercommunication between 
Polynesia and tropical America did exist in prehistoric times is 
entirely probable, but to argue that the present distribution 
of Hibiscus tiliaceus supports this theory certainly does not 
strengthen the probability. 
The generally accepted theory among ethnologists supports 
an eastward culture movement across the Pacific rather than a 
westward one. If the Cook maho series is related to the Polyne- 
sian mao series it would be much more reasonable to view it as 
coming from the Pacific to America rather than as evidencing a 
migration from America into the Pacific. If, as they claim, 
the American origin of Hibiscus tiliaceus is even more clearly 
indicated than is the similar origin of the coconut and the sweet 
potato, the claims to the American origin of the last two must be 
very weak indeed. 
Their argument regarding the origin and distribution of Hi- 
biscus tiliaceus is largely based on the similarity between its 
local names in tropical America and in Polynesia ; namely, maho, 
mahagua, etc., in tropical America, and mao, mau, vau, etc., in 
Polynesia. About thirteen pages are devoted to a discussion of 
the philological questions involved. While many data are given 
to show the similarity of names in tropical America and Poly- 
nesia, it is stated that the names used in Fiji, Guam, and the Phil- 
ippines may not belong to the maho series. The large number 
of Malay Archipelago names is ignored, but the statement is 
made that local names used in Madagascar and the neighboring 
islands appear to connect with the Malay and Polynesian series. 
The recorded names for the species in the Philipipnes are 
bago, bauan, balobago, balibago, malabago, malabagu, malam- 
bago, mayambago, mulabago, clanglog, loago, hanot, and hanut; 
of these balibago and malabago are the ones most commonly and 
widely used. The recorded names for the Malay Archipelago, 
not mentioned by Cook, are balebirang , baoe, baoek, baroe, baroe 
bhender, haoe ai, haroe, kabaroe, kalimbaoean, kasjanaf, kawa- 
o'ean, kelambaoean, kioko, lago, molombagoe, moloivahoe, yayat- 
yat, yohon baoek, siroen, ivahoe, ivande, waoe, waroe, waroe 
