38 
FETCH : 
struck by lightning, its crown ultimately decays, and only the 
headless stem remains after a few months. In the only case 
of mechanical injury which I have observed, the stem bore two j 
short vertical wounds, one at 12 feet and the other at 18 feet 
from the ground, from each of which the fibres were protruding 
in loose bundles. 
Exudation of Liquid. 
This is by far the commonest effect of lightning on coconut 
palms. As a rule, no sign of injury to the stem, or scorching 
of the crown, is observable, but the stem exudes, at numerous 
points, a liquid which dries in red-brown streaks and patches 
on its surface. The earliest stage of this which I have seen 
was two or three days after the tree had been struck. The 
plantation was fourteen years old and the palms were 
22 feet apart ; all were about the same height, but only one 
was affected. It did not appear to differ in any respect from 
the surrounding trees, and there was no apparent reason why 
it should have been struck rather than any other. Its stem 
was about 10 feet high, and the central spike about 10 feet 
more ; in consequence of its small stature, the tips of the 
decumbent outer leaves nearly touched the ground. 
The stem was not split or marked by the lightning in any 
way. Owing to the collapse of the inner tissues of the bud, 
the central spike had fallen over, but it was still green and not 
charred. The outer leaves, i.e., those v^hich bent over 
towards the ground, were charred along the midrib ; and 
round the tree, at distances of 8 or 10 feet from the trunk, 
the grass and weeds were burnt in small patches, each patch 
being situated below the point of a leaf. But the most 
striking phenomenon was the exudation of sap from the stem. 
Liquid was oozing out from the innumerable cracks which are 
always to be found in the ‘‘ rind ” of the coconut stem, forming 
white frothy masses and then running down in long red 
streaks. The appearance gave one the impression that the 
whole of the internal tissues were undergoing rapid fermenta- 
tion. On cutting into the stem the internal tissues were 
found to be slightly pale brown, uniformly coloured, and full 
of sap. It is to be regretted that, as the tree was situated 
