BUNCH-FLOWER FAMILY. 321 
Certain portions of several other plants are sometimes used either 
alone or together with soap root to produce the same effect, but none 
except the turkey mullein (Croton setigerus) (Pl. XUX), is esteemed 
as equally effective. After the fish have all been gathered together each 
Indian, rich and poor alike, is given an equal quantity. As much as 
100 bushels was captured at one time and thus divided. Such whole- 
sale poisoning was not indulged in very frequently; the general prac- 
tice was and is in remote districts still carried on to a limited extent 
by a few individuals, who select small streams or deep pools for their 
operations. No ill effect has ever been noted as a consequence of 
eating fish caught by any of these ‘‘fish poisons,” the reason being 
perhaps that the quantity required to kill a few fish is very small com- 
pared to the greater size of a man and that much of the toxicity is lost 
in the cooking, although no special method is employed in preparing it. 
The Wailaki name for the plant is yos'-cha, the Numlaki, sA/@, and 
the Pomo dm. 
Zygadenus venenosus Wats. 
Mas (Yuki).-—On account of its poisonous qualities and its resem- 
blance to the true camas (Quamasia) a most highly esteemed food 
plant, this is known throughout the West as ‘* poison camas” or 
“death camas.” Tt is common in Round Valley and grows along with 
the true camas in moist rich meadows and along the borders of creeks. 
It is aslender bulbous perennial, one-half to 2 feet high, with rather 
stiff, mostly radical, grass-like leaves and a short simple raceme of 
greenish white flowers, In late summer, when the camas bulbs are 
gathered for food, the poison camas may be distinguished from the 
other by its less rigid stem, and by its fruiting capsules which are 
smaller and consist of three nearly distinct valves; in camas the parts 
are consolidated into an ellipsoidal capsule. The bulbs are very nearly 
identical in size and shape. Late in the summer, when the stems are 
often broken off, it is especially dithcult to distinguish the bulbs, and 
it is at this time that cases of poisoning do sometimes occur. 
Among the Indians no plant is more commonly known to be poison- 
ous than this one, In cases of human poisoning the root is the part 
responsible, but the leaves are known to be fatal to sheep. Three 
distinct cases of human poisoning were cited by as many differ- 
ent tribes. Two of these terminated fatally, the symtoms as described 
being burning and smarting in the mouth and esophagus, dumbness, 
nausea, profuse vomiting, foaming at the mouth, dizziness, and 
mania. Death is almost sure to follow if the patient does not vomit 
freely. 
Notwithstanding its well-known poisonous effect when taken inter- 
nally, it is rather generally used as an external cure for boils and 
rheumatism and to alleviate pain caused by strains and bruises, it being 
