NATURAL HISTORY OF SELBORNE. 



141 



very beautiful specimens of this wourali ; it looks like hard 

 pitch or resin. In his " Wanderings," Mr. Waterton gives an 

 interesting account of its manufacture. He says that its prin- 

 cipal ingredient is a vine called wourali. The Indian takes the 

 vine and adds to it a root of a very bitter taste, and two kinds 

 of bulbous plants, which contain a green and glutinous juice. 

 To these are added two kinds of ants, one very large and black, 

 and very venomous ; the other is a little red ant which stings 

 like a nettle ; he then adds the strongest Indian pepper and the 

 pounded fangs of snakes, called Labarri and Counacouchi. It is 

 then prepared over a fire. Animals killed by wourali are good to 

 eat. 



The Indians will not allow any women to be present when 

 they make the poison, which is conducted with great ceremony 

 and mystery combined. Wourali is said to be a vegetable 

 poison a bird inoculated with a small dose of it will die in 

 less than three minutes. My own opinion is that snake poison 

 forms a considerable part in its ingredients. 



This engraving shows the dart used with the wourali poison 

 Each dart is about ten inches long and tipped with the poison. 



[IARTS TII'PF.P WITH WOURALI PO] 



The darts are beautifully fastened together in such a manner 

 that they can be rolled round a centre support. To the top of 

 the quiver in which the arrows are kept is tied a row of sharp 

 teeth of a fish ; with these the Indian cuts half through the dart 

 just above the poisoned tip. When the animal is struck the dart 

 breaks off short at the point and the little poison-covered end 

 remains in the wound, spreading its lethal influences. 



EARTH-WORMS, p. 210, AND SNAILS, p. 250. My father made 

 several observations on earth-worms. I possess bis manuscript 

 notes on this point, which are to this effect : " The digestion 

 of animals is a geological power of greater extent than 

 might at first sight be imagined. In the operations of earth- 

 worms we find an example. 



" It is a bad thing to plough up ancient pastures, as a number of 

 years are required to reform the mould, the result of centuries of 



