The heart, or very young foliaceous fronds of this tree, is called the cabbage, which is an excellent vegetable, either cooked or dressed, in stews, hashes, or ragouts.[124] The Singalese use the dried fronds as torches, both for themselves during the dark nights, or to carry before the carriages and palanquins of Europeans; they also use the spathe for a similar purpose, as well as for fuel; and at Rótuma and other Polynesian islands it is also adopted for a like purpose. At Tongatabu (one of the Friendly Islands) combs are made by the women of the midrib of the leaflets of the cocoa-nut tree, the upper part being beautifully worked with the fibre of the husk of the cocoa-nut, or Bulu; these combs, from their neat and ornamental appearance, were in great requisition during the time I visited that interesting island, and all the women were busily employed during the stay of the ship in making these combs, which they readily exchanged with the Papalangi[125] (foreign) officers and crew for trifling articles. The combs were stained by the bark of the Koka-tree, of a dark reddish colour, intended as a rude imitation of tortoiseshell. There is one portion of this valuable tree which attracts much the attention of the observer,—it is a kind of net-work; when very young it is delicate, beautifully white, and transparent, and is seen at the bases of the young fronds; but as the frond attains maturity, this natural matting becomes coarser and tough, and changes to a brown colour;[126] it may be stripped off the tree in large pieces, which are used in Ceylon as strainers, particularly for the toddy, which is usually full of impurities when recently taken from the tree, as its sweetness attracts insects innumerable. In most countries which I have visited, where this valuable tree is produced, this portion of it is used for a similar purpose. At the island of Tahiti (Otaheite) it is called _Aa_; and besides being used as sieves for straining arrow-root, cocoa-nut oil, &c., the natives, when engaged in such occupations as digging, fishing, &c., in order to save their bark cloth, would join several portions of this net-work together, and having a hole in the centre, in a manner similar to their mat-garment, called Tiabuta, wear it as an article of apparel, merely for the time in which they may be engaged in those occupations. It is certainly a garment, neither to be admired for its flexibility or firmness, but better calculated for fishermen, or those occupied in the water, as it will not be destroyed by wet, whereas their bark cloth would be utterly destroyed in the water, its substance resembling paper, both in strength and appearance.[127]