118 



and many vegetable ones, such as those of Bitter Cassava, Man- 

 chioneal, Nux Vomica, &c. 



One of the most terrible of these obeah poisons, is the milky 

 juice of the Yellow Savannah flower Urichites Stiberecta{3. Mull.) 

 From which Mr. Bowery, F.C.S., of Jamaica has isolated the 

 principles " Urichitin" and " Urichitoxin" in experimenting 

 with the former of these, Mr. Bowery gave a cat 1-1000 of a 

 grain every day foi' six weeks, on the last day of which period 

 the animal was seized with violent convulsions and died : evinc- 

 ing the cumulative power of the poison. 



HoAvever there are at least half a dozen cases of poisoning 

 with Yellow Savannah flower juice, on record, in which the tinc- 

 ture of Secua kernels proved its beneficent potency. In 

 addition to this, De Grosourdy relates that " Dr. Drapiez having 

 " poisoned animals with Nux Vomica, Bhan Toxicodendron and 

 " Cicuta (Hemlock) saved their lives by giving them Secua 

 *' scrapings softened with water : And experiments made by Dr. 

 " Hamilton confirm that conclusion," 



The fat is said to form 5G-60 °j^ of the composition of these 

 seeds, but that is probably too high an estimate, and it would 

 form an item of interesting investigation to acertain whether 

 when instruments, &c. are dressed with the fat they are not also 

 rendered stnmgly antiseptic at the same time owing to the anti- 

 dotal qualities already commented on. 



E. D. EWEN. 



7th October. 



BIOLOGICAL AND FAUNISTIC NOTES ON 

 TRINIDAD. 



From the Gkrman by Dk. von Kknnel, 



Few remarks on the hig!ier animals of Trinidad willsuftice, as 

 we possess very exact descriptions and illustrations of most of the 

 mammals and birds of South America. But what strikes the ob- 

 server of the higher fauna of Trinidad most is the comparatively 



