POISOIS'S USED BY THE SA.MOAK ISLANDEE3. 57 



down in the neighbourliood ; and, as above intimated, one of the 

 women became the wife of Tahi and mother of my informant, 

 from whom he received this account. The original party num- 

 bered about fifty; in 1845, when the mission-ship first visited the 

 island, only nine were left. 



But to resume. The tree grows near the sea-beach. It is 

 very tenacious of life ; for when cut down, shoots soon spring 

 up from the roots. It is probably common in the New Hebrides ; 

 my informant had noticed it growing on Aneiteum. 



So closely does this description agree in many respects with 

 that given by the late Dr. Seemann, 'Flora Vitiensis,' p. 233, of 

 the Sinu gaga of Fiji, JExccjecaria agallocha, Linn., that it seems 

 highly probable that the toto of Efat is identical with it, or is a 



closely allied species. 



2. Na suaea is the name of the second of the plants referred 

 to above. Being told that this plant is found in Samoa also, I 



t 



sent the man for a specimen. It proved to be the Puttj of Samoa, 

 which Professor Oliver has identified as Taherncemontana orienta- 



lis, E. Br. 



3. Na Sola. This is the Fanuamamala of Samoa, a species of 



CarumUtim ; but since we have, according to Baron von Mueller, 

 probably three of these, viz. C.j>edicellatu7njpopulifoUum, and acu- 

 minatum, I cannot say with which the Efat species agrees. They 

 are all however, considered by the Samoaus to possess poisonous 

 qualities, yet to be useful in some diseases. 



The leaves of these three plants were carefully picked, the stems 

 and points were nipped oflF, and they were put into a shed to dry. 

 When quite dry, they were taken in equal parts and reduced to a 

 fine powder in a wooden mortar with a pestle made of the ara wood, 



that is, the toa of the eastern Polynesians (Casuarina equiseti- 

 folia). To this powder was added a portion, in quantity equal 

 to that of each of the leaves, of very fine scrapings of an old piece 

 of ara. The whole was then weU rubbed together in the mortar. 



The next ingredient was from the animal kingdom. A very 



Holothuria 



S, 



the sand were emptied out, and it was exposed to the sun suflEi- 

 ciently long for all the water that remained in its substance to 

 evaporate. It was then put into a leaf of Calocasia Indica and 

 placed in the shade till it became a putrid liquid. The bowl 

 having been previously lined with a leaf of the Calocasia in order 



LIITK. JOUEN. BOTAjyr, VOL. XTI. F 



