In connection with these facts, it abounds in subspecies and varieties in the East Indian regions, but on the continent of America little attention has as yet been given to its diverging qualities. In the Malayan region it affords nearly all that is required by the inhabitants. The value of its fruit as food, and the delicious beverage which it yields, are well known. The fibrous rind is not less useful; it is manufactured into a kind of cordage, mats and floor-cloths. An excellent oil is obtained from the kernel by compression. The hard covering of the stem is converted into drums and used in the construction of huts; the lower part is so hard as to take on a beautiful polish [83] when it resembles agate. Finally the unexpanded terminal bud is a delicate article of food. Many other uses could be mentioned, but these may suffice to indicate how closely the life of the inhabitants is bound up with the culture of this palm, and how sharply, in consequence, its qualities must have been watched by early man. Any divergence from the ordinary type must have been noted; those which were injurious must have been rejected, but the useful ones must have been appreciated and propagated. In a word any degree of variability afforded by nature must have been noticed and cultivated. More than fifty different sorts of the coconut are described from the Indian shores and islands, with distinct local and botanical names. Miquel, who was one of the best systematists of tropical plants, of the last century, described a large number of them, and since, more have been added. Nearly all useful qualities vary in a higher or lesser degree in the different varieties. The fibrous strands of the rind of the nut are developed in some forms to such a length and strength as to yield the industrial product known as the coir-fibre. Only three of them are mentioned by Miquel that have this quality, the _Cocos nucifera rutila_, _cupuliformis_ and _stupposa_. Among them the _rutila_ [84] yields the best and most supple fibres, while those of the _stupposa_ are stiff and almost unbending. The varieties also differ greatly in size, color, shape and quality, and the trees have also peculiar characteristics. One variety exhibits leaves which are nearly entire, the divisions being only imperfectly separated, as often occurs in the very first leaves of the seedlings of other varieties. The flavor of the flesh, oil and milk likewise yield many good varietal marks.