Jamaica Dogwood. 19 
admit the Echini, or sea eggs, a well-known West Indian 
delicacy, to their tables, except when the moon is at the full, 
experience having taught them that this delicate shellfish 
improves with the increasing, and goes out of season with the 
waning moon. This digression may appear foreign to my 
purpose; but will, I trust, appear excusable when I state 
that, from the disappointments I have myself experienced 
from neglecting a due attention to what I was at first dis- 
posed to regard as a vulgar error, I have been fully convinced 
that the activity or inertness of the bark of the Piscidia de- 
pends as much upon the season of the year and the period 
of the moon at which it has been gathered, as that of digitalis, 
colchicum, or any of the other valuable remedies with which 
the Flora of Britain presents us. 
The bark of the dogwood root, collected at the period I 
have stated, previous to being used for fish poisoning, as the 
sport is called, is macerated with the lees of the stillhouse, 
and temper or quicklime, and put into baskets of a conve- 
nient size, with one of which each of the fishermen is pro- 
vided: thus equipped, one or more of them embark in one or 
more boats, according to the size of the bay selected for the 
sport, and, pushing to a sufficient distance from the shore, 
they hold their baskets over the side of the boat in the water, 
which they continue to agitate with their baskets till the 
whole of their contents is washed out, and the water has be- 
come impregnated with the intoxicating preparation, which 
happens sooner and to a wider or narrower extent according 
to the number of washers and boats, and the dimensions of 
the bay. In a little time the smaller fish are seen floating, 
apparently dead, upon the surface of the water, while the 
larger fish, capable of longer resisting the stupifying influ- 
ence of the medicated water, swim wildly about, raising their 
heads above the narcotic fluid, and striving as it were to 
breathe a purer atmosphere: these surrender themselves an 
easy prey to the persons in the boats, who catch them witb 
their hands as they float by, perfectly unresisting; if thrown, 
immediately after being taken, into fresh and pure water, 
there is no doubt that, with the exception perhaps of the 
smaller fry, they would soon recover. Neither their flavour 
nor wholesomeness is in the least impaired by the manner in 
which they have been taken; but, from the number which 
are usclessly destroyed by this mode of taking fish, poisoning 
has been prohibited in many of our islands. ‘The manner in 
which the Wonga root was used by the Carribs differs in 
appearance from this, which I myself witnessed, but in prin- 
ple is indisputably the same: they stuffed, as I was informed, 
