FIELD NATURALISTS' CLUB. 47 



their destruction. After clambering some way along the banks 

 of the river we came to some large stones which had been 

 evidently used as a rough mortar upon which to pound some 

 fibrous substance, which was unanimously declared to be 

 " balbac "* liane. Wading into the river, long pieces of the 

 bruised liane were secured by the boys and a large portion was 

 also discovered on the bank. A little further on the remains of 

 the plant from which it had been obtained, still hanging from a 

 forest tree was to be seen. During a rest we now took on the 

 bank Mr. Carr said there were many lianes used for the purpose 

 of securing fish, but balbac was the most common one. With 

 regard to the method of application he said there were many 

 superstitions, and amongst them were these : When a man wishes 

 to obtain a fish dinner with as little trouble as possible to himself, 

 which is by the aid of balbac, he is particularly careful to avoid 

 spitting in the water, for he believes if he commits such an indis- 

 cretion the liane will have no effect on the fish. Neither must 

 he for the same reason touch the water with a cutlass, because if 

 he does "he cuts the poison." In accordance with this belief, 

 when he has got a sufficient supply of fish, he chops the water 

 with his cutlass to prevent more being poisoned than are neces- 

 sary, and also to avoid doing harm to persons who may happen 

 to drink of the river lower down. With reference to this fish 

 poisoning it may be interesting to note that Bates, in his 

 admirable book, " The Naturalist on the River Amazon," 2nd 

 ed., p. 242, describes a similar custom in Brazil : " There was 

 " a mode of taking fish here which I had not before seen 

 " employed, but found afterwards to be very common on the 

 " Tapajos. This is by using a poisonous liane called Timb6 

 " ( Paullinia pinnata.) It will act only in the still waters of 

 " creeks and pools, A few rods, a yard in length, are mashed 

 " and soaked in the water which quickly becomes discolored with 

 " the milky deleterious juice of the plant. In about half an 

 " hour all the smaller fishes, over a rather wide space around the 

 " spot, rise to the surface, floating on their sides, and with the 

 " gills wide open. The poison acts evidently by suffocating the 

 " fishes ; it spreads slowly in the water and a very slight mixture 

 " seems to stupefy them. I was surprised, on beating the water 

 " in places where no fishes were visible in the clear depths for 

 " many yards round, to find sooner or later, sometimes twenty- 

 " four hours afterwards, a considerable number floating dead on 

 " the surface." [Mr. Broadway here exhibited mounted leaves 

 of the balbac] Having secured more water snails, we made a 

 short excursion through the forest ere returning, and saw a 



* Paullinia sp. 



