58 COPEIA 



they made fast their canoes. At this place the stream 

 was partially obstructed by the emerging rocks, and 

 to the passages between, with much stronger cur- 

 rent, they carried their nearly full baskets. All at 

 once, they dipped them into the water and stirred the 

 mush rapidly with one hand. Soon the brownish 

 water showed a distinct greenish hue and within less 

 than five minutes fish after fish came to the surface 

 acting as if it had completely lost its power of equi- 

 librium. 



Men, women and children armed with spears and 

 arrows, knives and hatchets all had rushed into the 

 water or taken positions on the different rocks, on 

 the lookout for the doomed fish. For about an hour 

 the whole section downstream became the happy and 

 noisy hunting-ground of the natives who either would 

 throw the fish as they were killed, out upon the larger 

 rocks, or carry them along in baskets. When the 

 catch was complete all fish were distributed by the 

 chief among the party, he retaining a few of the 

 larger ones that weighed easily from 10 to 20 lbs. each. 



It seemed to us that fish killed with this poison 

 decomposed more rapidly, yet it is certain that they 

 may be consumed without the slightest danger. The 

 fish taken belonged chiefly to the families, Siluridae, 

 Mormyridae, Cyprinidae, Characinidae. 



While we were standing on a rock, a boy had 

 thrown out with a painful yell, a small specimen of 

 an electric catfish (Malapterurus electricus). To 

 prevent its struggling back into the water, I stepped 

 on it and was greatly surprised to receive through a 

 one-third inch heavy leather sole, a shock that made 

 me withdraw my foot quickly. I pushed the fish into 

 a hole and Mr. Chapin and myself marveled that such 

 a small specimen could store enough electricity to re- 

 peat this performance at least ten times through wet 

 soles. 



Many tribes do not eat this fish, which has a 

 thick, rather loose, blubber-like skin, but I have heard 



