FISH POISONING AND POISONS.—EAMLYN-EABBIS AND SMITH. 5 



the natives add the poison to a palatable morsel, thereby ensuring a greater 

 eflfieieney. Dr. Brown reports that Tephrosia piscatorm is thus mixed with taro, 

 and the fruit of Barringtonia speciosa is used for the same purpose. 



There would appear to be sufficient grounds for crediting to the aboriginal 

 user some sense of the actual toxic property of his instruments rather than the 

 attribution of their efficacy to magical influence. Codrington/ writing of 

 Melanesia, gives expression to the belief that native magicians attributed any 

 noxious qualities which a poison might possess, not to its natural toxic principles, 

 but to the magic charm which possessed the power of poisoning and which was 

 communicated to it. 



From the universality and dominance of belief in magic in aboriginal 

 communities, we are not inclined to entirely exclude it as an actuating influence 

 in fish-poisoning practice. The degree, however, to which the effects obtained 

 was so attributed it is not possible to say. Nevertheless, there is certainly 

 recognition of the specific influence of the plant in the instance vouched for by 

 M. J. Colclough. Questioned as to M^hy he supposed the fibrous stalk of the 

 red-flowered water-lily (not obtained or identified by us), growing in profusion 

 at Joe's Hole and Red Lily Lagoon at the head of the Roper River, affected 

 fish, the native fisherman replied, "Saucy fella sit alonga that one, kill 'em fish, 

 make 'em sick first time ! ' ' — from which is to be gathered the train of aboriginal 

 reasoning. 



A remarkable example of the distinction of natural poisoning from super- 

 natural influence is found among the Narrinyeri tribe of the Lower Murray and 

 Lakes Alexandrina and Albert. As E. C. Stirling points out, in contradistinction 

 to the usual paraphernalia of "pointing sticks and bones" which were charmed 

 or "sung," the "Neilyeri" was stuck into a putrefying corpse for two or three 

 weeks and consequently acquired a special deadliness in use. There are few 

 instances such as this of the direction of poison against fellow-man in Australia, 

 and a similar practice observed b.y Dr. Herbert Basedow, whose observation is 

 independently corroborated, may be cited. Among the Wogait and Ponga-ponga 

 tribes on the Daly River, the vertebra? of large fish, principally barramundi, 

 after insertion into decaying tissue, usually the putrid carcass of a kangaroo, 

 for several days, were collected and tied to the head of a fighting-spear. This 

 was done upon special occasions only, and the weapon was not allowed out of the 

 owner 's hand : with which the natives declared they could ' ' kill quick fella ! ' ' 



We can recall no parallel practices in Queensland ; aboriginal familiarity 

 with antidotal or remedial measures, however, is evident. The use of herbs as 

 antidote for opium has been referred to, and M. J. Colclough relates the measures 

 taken for treatment of snakebite. A native bitten by a venomous snake was seen 

 cutting himself deeply with a shell knife, and tearing the fiesh to induce copious 

 bleeding, the while forcing the blood to run down his leg by energetic massage. 

 The instance shows a knowledge, either intuitive or acquired, that is remarkable. 

 The more recent adoption, by contact with eivilisati(m, of poisoning practice is 

 perhaps apparent in the "poison-carriers" collected by Bishop AYhite (lately of 

 Carpentaria) on the Roper River, and sent by him to the Queensland Museum. 

 The donor, in explanation of their purpose, writes: "As near as I can remember 

 the blackfellow told me their significance in the following words — 'Man no likee, 

 kill 'um poison his tucka, all the same white man!' " The specimens (231 mm. 

 and 206 mm. in length) consist of the shaft of an ulna and shaft of a radius of 



^ {f^ ' R. H. Codrington, D.D., The Melanesians, 1891. 



