246 THE NICOBARESE 



torches of coconut leaf. Open - meshed traps of rattan, of 

 various sizes and shapes, with funnel-shaped mouth leading 

 towards the interior, are in common use, and are sunk in the 

 sea - bottom in suitable places. They also construct weirs of 

 coconut leaves {Taiidnga — Kar Nicobar ; Kan-Skdng — Nankauri), 

 by means of which large quantities of fish are generally caught. 

 These are employed only during the dry season when the sea 

 is fairly calm. 



Finally, the narcotic property possessed by the seeds of 

 Barringtonia speciosa * is made use of ; for, in pools and confined 

 waters, the addition of a small quantity of a paste, made of the 

 mashed kernels, acts like " tuba," causing all the fish present to 

 become insensible and rise to the surface, where they may be 

 collected at leisure. 



Turtle are common about the islands, and many skulls are 

 to be met with in the houses of the natives, by whom they are 

 used for the expulsion of demons. They are captured when 

 floating on the sea by means of a harpoon with a skewer-shaped 

 iron head, which, when fast in the shell, detaches from the shaft 

 and remains connected by a short piece of cord only. 



Large quantities of fish are often caught, when the weather 

 is favourable, by means of the kan-shdng, traps, etc., and, con- 

 sequently, at times the natives live largely on fish. The staples 

 of food throughout the year are coconuts and pandanus fruit, 

 with bananas, yams, and occasionally other fruits and vegetables 

 in small quantities. Fowls and pork can only be afforded now 

 and then. Rice is used to a small extent, and is one of the 

 articles for which the natives barter coconuts. 



The fruit of the pandanus, which is an egg-shaped mass 

 frequently attaining a diameter of i8 inches, consists of a 



* C/; " The large quadrangular nut is a ' common object of the sea-shore ' in 

 the Malay Islands, and is much used by the natives to catch fish. The fruit is 

 pounded and thrown into the water, and the fish, rising to the surface in a 

 stupefied condition, are easily secured." — P. i88, Cruise of the Marchesa^ by 

 F. H. H. Guillemard ; London, John Murray, 1889. 



Also used for the same purpose by natives of the Solomons. — Vide H. B. 

 Guppy's Solomon Islafids; London, Swan, Sonnenschein. 



