58 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
The cocoa-nut oil is procured from the pulp, 
and is prepared by grating the kernel of the old 
nut, and depositing it in a long wooden trough, 
usually the hollow trunk of a tree. This is 
placed in the sun every morning, and exposed 
during the day; after a few days the grated 
nut is piled up in heaps in the trough, leaving 
a small space between each heap. As the oil 
exudes, it drains into the hollows, whence it is 
scooped in bamboo canes, and preserved for sale 
or use. After the oil ceases to collect in the 
trough, the kernel is put into a bag, of the matted 
fibres, and submitted to the action of a rude lever 
press; but the additional quantity of oil, thus 
obtained, is inferior in quality to that produced 
by the heat of the sun. This process requires 
considerable labour for the grating of the kernel by 
the hand; but it is probable, should its manufac¬ 
ture be continued, that mills will be erected for 
bruising the pulp. 
In addition to these advantages, the shells of 
the large old cocoa-nuts are used as water-bottles, 
the largest of which will hold a quart; they are of a 
black colour, often highly polished, and, with care, 
last a number of years. All the cups and drinking 
vessels of the natives are made with cocoa-nut 
shells, usually of the omoto, which is of a yellow 
colour. It is scraped very thin, and is often 
slightly transparent. Their ava cups were gene¬ 
rally black, highly polished, and sometimes inge¬ 
niously carved with a variety of devices, but the 
Tahitians did not excel in carving. The fibres of 
the husk are separated from the pulp by soaking 
them in water, and are used in making various 
kinds of cinet and cordage, especially a valuable 
