COACOANUT PEARLS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1689, 17 October 1887, Page 3

COACOANUT PEARLS.

A curious account ia given m a late number of " Nature " of what are called coacoanut pearls. They are small white stones occasionally found inside coacoanuts, and as a very large number of these nuts have been consumed by New Zealand youths, it would be interesting to know if any of these pearls have been found by them. The article begins with the following letter sent to " Nature " (June 16) by Dr Sydney J. Hickson : — "During my travels m North Celebes I was frequently aßked by the Dutch planters and others if I had ever seen a 'coacoanut stone I' These stones are said to be -very rarely found (1 m 2000 or more) m the perisperm of the coacoanut, and when found are kept by the natives as a charm against disease and evil spirits. This story of the ' coacoanut stone ' was so constantly told me, and m every case without any variation m its details, that I made every effort before leaving to obtain some specimens, and eventually succeeded m obtaining two. One of these is ne »rly a perfect sphere 14 millimetres (about £ an inch) m diameter, and the other, rather smaller m size, is irregularly pear-shaped. In both specimens the surface is worn nearly smooth by friction. The spherical one I have had cut into two halves, but I can find no concentric or o'her markings on the polished cut surface. Dr Ktmmins has kindly Bubmitted one half to a careful chemical analysis, and finds that it consists of pure carbonate of lime without any trace of other salts or vegetable tissue." Tbla letter was sect to Mr Thistleton Dyer by the editor of " Nature," and ha, m commenting on it, aaya the account of the calcareous concretions occasionally found m he central hollow (filled with the 80-c%lled * milk '), Is extremely Interesting, and it Is well known that calcium carbonate concretes m a peculiar manner from solutions m whloh organic matter is present. After giving an aocount of the minerals found secreted m various tropical plants and trees, he Appends a note, which the Tropical Agricaituraliat for April last quotes from the Straits Times, m whiob reference h made to eacoanut pearls. Specimens are to be bought at Singapore, aod they are e&id to be «o rare m the East Indies as to be highly prized by the native rajihs, and worn by them as precious Btoaea. This pearl resembles the common variety ia -smoothness, whiteness, and scant lustre of surface, but it is harder. Both the cocoanut pearl and the common petrl consist of carbonate of lime and the organic matter m both ia insoluble ; and they are both formed of concentric layers of material. Professor Bleekrodo, In a Datoh periodical, saya that Rumphius the famous botanist gave full particulars and drawings of this petrifaction m the cocoa-nut m his •' Herbarium Amboinense." Rumphius states that the cocosnuts from Macaeßar yield more pearls that those from other places, and m 1682 he aent as a present to the Grand Duke of Tuscany a ring m which a cocoanut pearl had been set. Similar pearllike formations are met with (n other East Indian fruits, euob bb the warlngin, the pomegranate, and kochubong.