153 
Chap. X.—B. S.J A PIJZZLE ABOUT THE COCOA-NUT. 
this littoral one (Cocos nucifera) is also endemic to 
America. But it should not he forgotten that there 
are several genera of Palms with representatives about 
the native country of which there is no doubt, in both 
hemispheres: for instance, the Oil Palms ( Elaeis ) in 
Africa and America, and the common Fan Palms 
( Chamcerops ) in Europe, Asia, and America. More¬ 
over, whilst the Asiatics and Polynesians have dis¬ 
covered innumerable uses of the Cocoa-nut tree, the 
American natives have made no such progress, but 
consume the fruit as an occasional luxury only. This 
would almost seem to prove that the acquaintance of 
the latter with the tree dates from a comparatively 
recent period, and that of the former from a more 
remote one, an argument unfavourable to America 
being regarded as its native country. 
On turning to Polynesia we find whole islands 
covered with Cocoa-nut, and in some groups the entire 
population relying upon it as their staff of life. It 
has all the appearance of being perfectly at home, 
but there is one circumstance that strikes us as very 
curious. The light-skinned Polynesians are assumed 
to be of a Malay stock, and to have migrated some¬ 
where from Eastern Asia. How comes it to pass that 
they are ignorant of the art of preparing toddy from 
the unexpanded flower-branches of the Cocoa-nut 
Palm,—a beverage of so ancient a date that the oldest 
language of Asia has a term for it, toddy being a 
corruption of the Sanskrit word tacle? Did these 
Polynesians leave the cradle of their race before the 
Cocoa-nut tree had found its way to it ? or are we to 
