Fish-Poisoning in the Hawaiian Islands 223 



and diversity of the fishes which soon appeared in the pool from the 

 various crevices. The specimens were all small, the longest eel 

 measuring 20 inches, and the longest of the other fishes 6 inches. 

 Observations on the drugging were greatly hindered by the unex- 

 pected interest of the spectators, mostly women and children from 

 Monaunau village. These Hawaiians, instinctive fishers, naturally 

 became much excited when the fish began to swim around in a 

 dazed and "catchable" condition. Women and children piled into 

 the pool, clothes and all, in a desire to help, and caught fish right 

 and left with the greatest glee. The light was too dull to photo- 

 graph except with time exposure, or the very animated scene might 

 have been visually recorded. 



An incident that occurred during the Jwla fishing at Honanau 

 illustrates a marked Hawaiian characteristic — the desire to please. 

 After the first excitement had calmed down, and the fish had been 

 sorted, named, and counted, the men were posed for their photo- 

 graph with their somewhat insignificant catch (Plate XIX A). 

 Just before the plate was exposed, the man on the left seized his 

 stick, and jumping behind the rock where his father was standing, 

 began to poke vigorously in the water. He was ordered back, as it 

 was supposed he was merely chasing another fish. During a second 

 pose he repeated the performance, and was called back with a severe 

 reprimand. No explanation was given. On the third attempt to 

 photograph the movement began again, and then an eel came flying 

 through the air, kicked out of the water by the vigorous old man. 

 This eel, the cause of the disturbance, was one of the kind called 

 piihi wcla-zucla (=hot) because its bite causes a "hot wound" — 

 and the patient fellows were doing their best to be accommodating 

 while the half-drugged eel was swimming around their bare feet! 



One and a half hours after the proceedings described, the pool 

 was again visited. Fresh sea water had meanwhile entered and 

 made a clear border two feet wide along one side of the pool. It 

 contrasted very strongly with the green tint of the poisoned water. 

 In the clear water there were a number of active ohua — appar- 

 ently recent arrivals from the ocean. Half as many more fish as 

 previously taken were seen lying dead on the bottom, including 

 some eels. Other eels, however, were still struggling in the 



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