212 PARYSATIS AND STAT1RA 



the European inhabitants; it is called the wolf poison, and is 

 probably a species of Rhus. The nuts are roasted like coffee, 

 pounded, and stuffed into small pieces of meat; these are 

 thrown into the fields, where they are soon found by the 

 voracious hyaenas which are generally killed by this ex- 

 pedient.* 



' ESTHER. 



Your speaking of poisonous Euphorbias reminds me of the 

 use made in Ireland of a British species {Euphorbia hiberna). 

 It is used extensively by the peasantry in the county of Kerry 

 for poisoning or rather stupefying fish, in the same manner as 

 the exotic species {Euphorbia piscatoria} is employed for the 

 same purpose by the negroes, who pound the leaves between 

 two stones, and mix them with cassada paste. So power- 

 ful are the qualities of the Irish Euphorbia, that a small 

 creel or basket filled with the bruised plant is sufficent to 

 poison the fish for several miles down a river. 



I have heard that the art of slow poisoning is carried to a 

 great height by the African negroes in the West Indies. 



MRS. F. 



It is, I believe, to an extent of which we can form little 

 conception, and which offers but few parallels in civilised 

 life. 



FREDERICK. 



That was an ingenious contrivance of Parysatis, the wicked 

 queen of Darius Nothus, to get rid of her rival and daughter- 

 in-law Statira.f She poisoned one side of the knife with 

 which she helped Statira to some bird, which she cut in two 

 parts, gave one half to Statira, who soon after died of con- 

 vulsions, while the wicked Parysatis ate the other half her- 

 self without injury4 



* Pattison's Journey to the Cape. 



t Wife of Artaxerxes Mnemon, who was King of Persia B. c. 404. 



\ Rollin, book iv. c. 2. 



