Fish-Poisoning in the Hmvaiian Islands 229 



soms. Mr. Forbes, however, recognized it as a long-leafed form 

 of JJ'. sandzvicensis. On a subsequent visit to the district of Puna, 

 on the southeast coast of the Island of Hawaii, the writer made 

 further inquiries concerning the akia azvaazva, was shown a shrub, 

 and obtained a specimen which Mr. Forbes identified as coming 

 from a short-leafed form of JV. sandzvicensis. 



While Hillebrand lists seven species and four varieties of 

 IVikstroeniia from these islands, the appearance of different speci- 

 mens of the same species varies so greatly that the uninitiated 

 might well suppose that the number of species was much greater. 

 The blossoms are very small. From a consideration of the native 

 accounts so far collected, it is evident that the term akia azvaazva 

 may be applied to many species of IVikstroeniia, dependent on the 

 uses to which local Hawaiians put them. 



Referring to akia, Andrews^" notes : "The bark is used to 

 poison fish in fresh water as anJinhn is in salt." Some of the 

 older natives say that akia and auhuhu were used alike in fresh or 

 salt water, but that auhuhu was much the stronger. An experiment 

 tried in fresh water on imported small rainbow fish gave the fol- 

 lowing results: — Auhuhu killed the fish in from 11 to 17 minutes, 

 IV. foetida in 38 minutes, and W. elongata in 19 minutes. The 

 idea probably intended to be conveyed by Andrews was that akia, 

 being generally found in the mountains, usually served for stream 

 poisoning, while auhuhu growing near the shore was used in the 

 sea. It is doubtful if akia would be used were auhuhu available or 

 in season. In these experiments, after the first fish died the 

 others were placed in clean well-aerated water, but none of the 

 fish recovered. 



The practice of luda has been almost, if not entirely aban- 

 doned in the Hawaiian Islands, owing in part to a lessening of the 

 available poison plants, but in a large degree, probably, to the 

 adoption of the equally reprehensible and even more destructive 

 method of fishing with dynamite. 



Fish-Poisoning in Samoa. 



For the following account of fish narcotization in Samoa the 

 writer is indebted to Mr. E. J. Mooklar, a chemist who resided in 

 ^"Andrews, Lorrin, Hawaiian Dictionary, Honolulu, 186'. 



