Chap. II. PUCHEKUMS. 83 



leterious juice of the plant. In about half an hour all 

 the smaller fishes, over a rather wide space around the 

 spot, rise to the surface floating on their sides, and 

 with the gills wide open. The poison acts evidently 

 by suffocating the fishes ; it spreads slowly in the water, 

 and a very slight mixture seems sufficient to stupify 

 them. I was surprised, on beating the water in places 

 where no fishes were visible in the clear depths for 

 many yards round, to find, sooner or later, sometimes 24 

 hours afterwards, a considerable number floating dead 

 on the surface. 



The people occupy themselves the greater part of the 

 year with their small plantations of mandioca. All the 

 heavy work, such as felling and burning the timber, 

 planting and weeding, is done in the plantation of each 

 family by a congregation of neighbours, which they call 

 a "pucherum:" — a similar custom to the "bee" in 

 the backwood settlements of North America. They 

 make quite a holiday of each pucherum. When the 

 invitation is issued, the family prepares a great quantity 

 of fermented drink, called in this part Taroba, from 

 soaked mandioca cakes, and porridge of Manicueira. 

 This latter is a kind of sweet mandioca, very different 

 from the Yuca of the Peruvians and Macasheira of 

 the Brazilians (Manihot Aypi), having oblong juicy 

 roots, which become very sweet a few days after 

 they are gathered. With these simple provisions they 

 regale their helpers. The work is certainly done, 

 but after a very rude fashion ; all become soddened 

 with Taroba, and the day finishes often in a drunken 

 brawl. 



g 2 



