fish-Poisoning in the Hawaiian Islands 231 



taro when applied, and an unidentified beach vine mentioned by 

 Mrs. ChurchilP\ whose account is detailed and interesting. Her 

 description of the plant suggests Iponica pcs-caprac or /. fcrcbrc- 

 flnini, but the bitter taste described is lacking in the Hawaiian 

 Ipunica. It is possible that the plant was Dcrris iiligiuosa l>enth, 

 which Seemann^^ reports as used for poisoning' fish in Fiji, and 

 which approximately agrees with Mrs. Churchill's description. The 

 well-known writers on Samoa — Stair^- and Turner^" — do not men- 

 tion fishing- by poison. 



The fish poison most used in Polynesia in ancient times was 

 from Barringtonia speciosa. which was plentiful in the South, but 

 did not grow in the Hawaiian Islands. According to Williams^'^ 

 it was used by the Polynesians from Tahiti to Tonga, and other 

 writers report its use in Fiji^®, Guam^", and the Solomon Islands-". 

 When in abundance its preparation was probably quicker than the 

 poisons used by the Hawaiians, a fact which may explain the 

 southern preference for the Barringtonia. TcpJirosia piscatoria is 

 reported by Gray-^ as occurring also in the Society group, Samoa, 

 Tonga, and Fiji, and it was used in the Society Islands-^ and 

 Samoa-^. JViksfrocinia foctida was also found in the Society and 

 Marquesas groups, Samoa, and Fiji-*, and was used in the Society 

 group mixed with Barringtonia-^ seeds. Seemann notes that neither 



"Churchill, Mrs. Llewclla, Samoa 'Uma, p. 122, London and New York, 

 n. d. 



" Seeman, Berthold, Viti, p. 339, Cambridge, 1862. 



'■' Stair, J. B., Old Samoa, London, 1897. 



"Turner, George, Samoa a hundred years ago, London, 1884; Nine- 

 teen years in Polynesia, London, t86i. 



^'Williams, John, Missionary enterprises, p. 501, London. 1838. See also 

 Ellis, William, Polynesian researches, vol. i, p. 140, London, 1853; Christ- 

 ian, F. W., Eastern Pacific lands, p. 65, London, 1910. 



^^ Seeman, Berthold, Viti, p. 339, Cambridge, 1862. 



" Safford, W. E., Useful plants of Guam : Contr. U. S. Nat. Herl)., vol. 

 9, pp. 81-82. 



*" Guppy, H. B., The Solomon Islands, p. 158, London, 1887. 



"^ Gray, Asa., LT. S. Exploring Expedition, vol. 15, Botany, p. 407, Phila- 

 delphia, 1854. 



" Ellis. Op. cit. 



"' Brown. Op. cit. 



='Gray. Op. cit. 



"^Seemann, Berthold, Flora Vitiensis, p. 207 (quoting Solander). 



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