the Nagas tip their Arrows. 219 



excepting one pigeon, death was produced in less than an 

 hour, a proof of the poisonous quality of this vegetable sub- 

 stance, of which we are at present in possession of no name. 



From the circumstance of a fowl having been killed in five 

 minutes by the insertion of this poison, according to the state- 

 ment of Captain Grant, it is probable that in its recent state 

 its power is very active, but from a single experiment no de- 

 cided inference can be drawn. 



Pi Breton, Surgeon. 



Calcutta, July 6th, 1827. 



NOTE BY THE EDITOR. 



Mr Swinton has transmitted to us some of the poison (in 

 the state of a dried gum) used by Mr Breton in the preceding 

 experiments, which Ave have sent to an eminent chemist for 

 the purpose of analysis. It was obtained by Captain Grant, 

 who drew up the following memoranda. 



" I send some of the poison with which the Nagas poison 

 their arrows. I tried its virtue on a fowl, by putting a little 

 on the point of a penknife, and slightly piercing it. The 

 bird died in five minutes. The whole of the Nagas to the 

 E. N. E. and S. E. of the valley of Munnipore use it. They 

 make it into a paste with tobacco water, and rub it on the 

 points of their arrows. Whilst on my late trip in Kubboo, I 

 used every endeavour to find out the tree, but I could not 

 succeed. The Nagas could not be induced by promises of 

 reward to discover it ; but always referred me from one to 

 another. They all agreed in their account of the tree, and 

 described it as being of enormous size. The poison is extract- 

 ed by making incisions in the bark, from which it oozes. The 

 men who are emloyed in collecting it are obliged to take the 

 greatest precautions, and cover their mouths and nostrils 

 while they are engaged in this occupation. They are fed by 

 the hand of a second person all the time, and for several days 

 after they have given up working. They also say that the 

 trees are found at some place in the neighbourhood of Kub- 

 boo." 



