Rostlund’s suggestion that possibly the use of plant piscicides 
was introduced into southeast North America by Africans from 
the Caribbean (possibly by escaped slaves) or by Europeans, is 
mentioned by Heizer. One introduction by Europeans is dis- 
cussed by Wilhelm (27), but since contact between Indians and 
settlers does not seem to be involved, this example cannot be 
accepted as an instance of the effective introduction of a tech- 
nique. It may rather represent simply the use of an already 
known procedure in a new environment. 
VI 
Quite aside from the great age of use of piscicides among 
primitive peoples, and returning to Verbascum and the common 
term ‘‘barbasco’’ — there remains the question of the use of 
mullein (Verbascum spp.) described by Wilhelm among the 
mountaineers of the southeastern United States. 
These people, who were of English, Scotch-Irish and German 
descent, emigrated to the Blue Ridge area in the 1700s. For food, 
they had to rely on hunting, fishing and gathering until their 
harvests became dependable. Although there were at least 
twenty species of fish in the region, these settlers — except for 
those who already had a fishing tradition — much preferred 
hunting or collecting to fishing. However, some of them did fish 
regularly. They built dams, fish weirs or traps, and they used 
mullein as a piscicide. A native of this region, whose ancestors 
had come to America from Germany about 1780, described how 
his grandfather had used mullein in Europe. 
‘They'd heard “bout the new land... *n decided to bring 
things that’d help them git a start,’ he said. “‘Stinging fish 
[drugging] was one easy way of gettin’ food at first, so Feltwort 
[German common name of mullein] seeds were brung along.”’ 
Other dwellers of the region commented that fish-poisoning had 
been practiced *‘on the sly’ by their families in Europe. Inas- 
much as these settlers had been working people or farmers, it Is 
quite likely that there they had indulged in a little poaching. 
Fish-drugging is a poacher’s technique in the British Isles, as 
opposed to the gentleman’s method of fishing with hook and line 
(9). Fish-drugging has been practiced in nearly every European 
country. There are many specific references in old writings to 
