Palms of British Guiana. 233 
It grows in similar places to the last species. On the 
Corentyn, where we first noticed this palm, there is some- 
thing curious about its distribution ; full grown plants are 
there so scarce that, though eager to find it, I never saw 
an example, while in the same place young plants were 
very common. It occurs on the Canje, Berbice, Demerara 
and Essequibo, and is very abundant on the Pomeroon 
and rivers onward from that. According to ScHOMBURGK 
it is distributed also through the sandstone and savannah 
regions. 
Its leaves are much used as thatch, where less divided 
leaves, such as those of the Manicaria, can not be had. 
Its fruit is often made into a drink, such as the Brasilian 
assai ; and is much sought after and eaten, boiled, by the 
Indian. 
According to WALLACE the long straight fibres attached 
to the petioles of the leaf-stalks are used by the Brazilian 
Indians as darts for their blow-pipes ; but they are 
apparently never used for that purpose here. These 
fibres, by the way, I should describe rather as bundles of 
stiff thick bristles than, with Mr. Jenman, as matted coir. 
It may not be out of place to add that toucans are 
exceedingly fond of the ripe fruit of the tooroo ; and 
will, in some marvellous way, swallow four or five of 
these fruits, of the size of pigeons' eggs, and very hard, 
in a very few seconds. 
[CE. minor, Mart : 
This palm, according to SCHOMBURGK, is found on the 
upper Essequibo, and flowers throughout the year. It 
seems closely to resemble, but to be smaller in all its 
parts than, CE. baccaba.] 
