1817.] On the Poison Tree of Java. 20% 
in the fabrication of Foersch’s story. It is, however, highly in- 
teresting, as it gives an account of the effects of the poisoned darts, 
formerly employed in the wars of the eastern islands, on the human 
system, and of the remedies by which their effect was counteracted 
and cured. 
The simple sap of the arbor toxicaria (according to Rumphius) 
is harmless, and requires the addition of ginger and several sub- 
stances analogous to it, such as ledoory and lampoegang, to render 
it active and mortal. In so far it agrees with the antshar, which, 
in its simple state, is supposed to be inert, and before being used as 
a poison is subjected to a preparation which will be described after 
the history of the tree. The same effervescence and boiling, 
which occurs on the mixture of the substances added to the milky 
juice by the Javanese in Blambangan, has been observed in the 
preparation of the poison of Macassar, and in proportion to the 
violence of these effects the poison is supposed to be active. 
A dissertation has been published by Chrisp. Aejmlaeus at Upsal, 
which contains the substance of the account of Rumphius; an 
extract from it is given in Dr. Duncan’s Medic. Coment. for the 
year 1790, vol. ii. decad. v. 
It appears from the account of Rumphius that this tree is also 
found on Borneo, Sumatra, and Bali. 
Besides the true poison tree, the oopas of the eastern islands and 
the antshar of the Javanese, this island produces a shrub, which, 
as far as observations have hitherto been made, is peculiar to the 
same, and bya different mode of preparation, furnishes a poison 
far exceeding the oopas in violence. Its name is éshettik, and its 
specific description will succeed to that of the antshar, The genus 
has not yet been discovered or described. 
Description of the Antshar.—The anishar belongs to the twenty- 
first class of Linnzus, the monoecia. The male and female 
flowers are produced in catkins (amenta) on the same branch, at no 
great distance from each other ; the female flowers are in general 
above the male. 
The characters of the genus are : . 
Male Flower.—Calix, consisting of several scales which are 
imbricate; corol, none; stamens, filaments many, very short, co- 
yered by the scales of the receptacle-anthers. 
The receptacle on which the filaments are placed has a conical 
form, abrupt, somewhat rounded above. 
Female Flower.—Catkins ovate; calix, consisting of a number 
of imbricate scales (generally more than in the male) containing 
one flower; corol, none; pistil, germ single, ovate erect; styles, 
Ywo, long, slender, spreading; stigmas, simple acute ; seed-vessel, 
an oblong drupe, covered with the calix; seed, an ovate nut with 
one cell. 
Specific description.—The antshar is one of the largest trees in 
the forest of Java.—The stem is cylindrical, perpendicular, and 
rises completely naked to the height of 60, 70, or 80 feet. Near 
