THE AUSTRALIAN NATURALIST. 89 
Yaqona to dip the strainer in the liquid and fill the bilo by 
squeezing it into it. It is customary to drink the contents of the 
bilo at one draught, this being accompanied by clapping of 
hands and slapping the thigh with the hand, by the people pre- 
sent. As soon as the drinker has finished, all present say “a 
maca,’ pronounced “matha,’ meaning “empty” or “the bowl is 
finished.” ‘The drinker responds with the exclamation “bula,” 
pronounced mbula, “good health,” or else the common Fijian 
expression “moli. or wo,” which means “thanks” or “my re- 
spects.” Having’ finished the contents of the bowl, the drinker 
adroitly sends it spinning across the mat-covered floor towards 
the tarnoa. In Samoa and other islands it is customary to pass 
the bowl back from hand to hand. : 
In great ceremonial drinkings of Yagona, cups made by 
twisting a piece of plantain leaf, just as a grocer makes a twist 
paper bag, are often used, a new cup being used for each 
drinker. 
By constant use the tarnoa and bilo acquire a very fine 
coating resembling enamel, of a bluish white color, and this 
when perfect is a sign of age and the article is highly prized. 
It is in order to avoid injuring this enamel by scratching it 
with the drinking bowl, that the latter is filled by means of the 
strainer. When the turbid liquid prepared as above is examined 
microscopically it is found that the turbidity is due to multi- 
tudes of starch granules, and although I searched with care I 
never found any raphides or oilglobules. 
Yaqona is always drunk freshly prepared, and never, as I~ 
have frequently seen stated, after keeping or in a fermented 
state. If allowed to stand, the starch grains sink, leaving a 
clear light-brown liquid which soon becomes sour and offensive. 
Being curious to know how much saliva the Yagona gained in 
the process of chewing, I made several experiments with natives 
habituated to this method of preparing the root. I found that 
there is some variation, the gain in weight varying from 119 to 
about 180 per cent. of the root taken. Thus in one experiment 
133 grams of. the cleaned root were chewed by a native. The 
weight after chewing was 292 grams, an increase of 159 grams 
or 119 per cent. This was sufficient to make about 5 pints of 
the liquid, and as a pint is a very moderate allowance as a 
draught for one person, each person would get nearly 32 grams 
or rather more than 1 oz. of saliva. The late Dr. W. Mac- 
gregor, afterwards Sir W. Macgregor, of New Guinea, when 
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