THE INDIAN HUNTER. 81 



that they charm or drive off evil spirits. All 

 diseases are, of course, the work of something 

 outside, and we have been told of capsicums 

 being squeezed and the juice dropped into the 

 eyes as a remedy for ague. They are also used 

 in the same way when passing the pictured rocks 

 on our great rivers, as if to deprecate misfortune 

 or to obtain the goodwill of some spirit. 



Medicines are not often required, but wounds 

 are common and therefore have to be dressed. 

 The leaves of the silver fern (Gymnogramma) are 

 bruised and applied to cuts, and those of the 

 wild guava to wounds of the sting ray. Ulcers 

 are usually treated with bruised barks, which have 

 some effect from their tannin. Fevers are more 

 generally treated with vapour baths; a fire is 

 kindled under the hammock and certain green 

 leaves allowed to smoulder until the patient is 

 almost suffocated. 



A large black ant is called by a name meaning 

 " the doctor," and is used for all local pains ; its 

 bite is painful or it would be quite useless. The 

 part affected is allowed to be bitten ; for fever it 

 is one of the temples and for headache the crown 

 of the head. 



The Peaiman, or witch-doctor, has generally 

 been stigmatised as a fraud, but such is not 



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