THE INDIAN HUNTER 69 



as thin as the agouti or have a mouth like the 

 labba. When fishing with the haiari poison he 

 must prevent trouble by rubbing some of the 

 plant on his shins, otherwise the fish will sink 

 to the bottom of the pool instead of floating on 

 the surface ; if his wife were not child-bearing this 

 would not be necessary. There seems to be a 

 natural instinct which tells him that the child is 

 a part of himself. 



When the little one comes, not only has the 

 father to take many precautions, but the mother 

 must avoid anything likely to interfere with 

 the success of her boy. He must be strong, and 

 therefore she is prohibited from eating the flesh 

 of delicate animals, such as turtle and iguana, 

 but the meat of the wild hog is suitable because 

 this beast is strong and fierce, as is also that of 

 the deer because it is swift. 



The boy learns to be cunning, silent, and swift, 

 so that he may stalk his game. He shoots to 

 kill, and therefore must get as close as possible. 

 Then, as he grows older, his weapons have to 

 be kept in perfect order; much of his time is 

 spent in making bows, arrows, and blow-pipes, 

 all of which were formerly beautifully finished 

 and suited to the different game and fishes. A 

 collection of Indian arrows shows that experience 



