Very  little  use  is  made  of  the  Coir  (Tag^og,  Bunot\  or  outer  fibrous
skin,  which  in  other  countries  serves  for  the  manufacture  of  cocoanut
matting,  coarse  brushes,  hawsers,  etc.  It  is  said  that  coir  rots  in  fresh
water,  whereas  salt  water  strengthens  it.  It  would  therefore  be  un-
suitable for  running  rigging,  but  for  ships^  cables  it  cannot  be  surpassed
in  its  quahties  of  lightness  and  elasticity.  As  it  floats  on  water,  it
ought  to  be  of  great  value  on  ships,  whilst  of  late  years  its  employmait
in  the  manufacture  of  light  ocean  telegraph  cables  has  been  seriously
considered,  showing,  as  it  does,  an  advantage  over  other  materials  hj
taking  a  convex  curve  to  the  water  surface — an  important  condition  in


Nipa  Palm — Cogon-grass — Cotton-tree  807

cable-lajdng.*  The  Spaniards  call  this  product  Banote,  In  this  Colony
it  often  serves  for  cleaning  floors  and  ships^  decks,  when  the  nut  is  cut
into  two  equal  parts  across  the  grain  of  the  coir  covering,  and  with  it
a  very  high  polish  can  be  put  on  to  hardwoods.
The  stem  of  the  Cocoanut  Palm  is  attacked  by  a  very  large  beetle
with  a  single  horn  at  the  top  of  its  head.  It  bores  through  the  bark
and  slightly  injures  the  tree,  but  I  never  heard  that  any  had  died
in  consequence.  In  some  countries  this  insect  is  described  as  the
rhinoceros  beetle,  and  is  said  to  belong  to  the  Dynastidoe  species.
