Mr. Schomburgk on the Indian Arrow Poison. 407 



it. When this mould is once formed, it propagates itself by 

 spores. Such diseases are pi'obably not rare, and only of im- 

 portance to the animals. I have lately observed a disease 

 of the Vibrio, out of whose body a very beautiful but small 

 microscopical mould was developed, from which they died ; 

 the animals twist themselves in all directions, and try to get 

 rid of the diseased product, but in vain ; at length they be- 

 come quiet and die. 



[To be continued.] 



XLII. — On the Urari, the Arrow Poison of the Indians of 

 Guiana ; ivith a description of the Plant from which it is 

 extracted. By Robert H. Schomburgk, Esq.*. 



More than two centuries have elapsed since the curiosity of 

 Europe was raised to become acquainted with the plant from 

 the juice of which the Indians make their celebrated Urari 

 poison ; and as the preparation has been enveloped in great 

 mystery, all the attempts hithei'to made have only added con- 

 siderably to the wish of the learned in Europe to be able to 

 sift the true from the fabulous accounts. 



Raleigh appears to have been the first who heard of this 

 substance, with which the Aborigines poisoned their arrows 

 for war and the chase ; and Father Gumilla observes, that 

 "its principal ingredient was furnished by a subterraneous 

 plant, a tuberose root, which never puts forth leaves, and 

 which is called the root by way of eminence, raiz de si misma ; 

 that the pernicious exhalations Avhich arise from the pots 

 cause the old women to perish who are chosen to watch over 

 this operation ; finally, that these vegetable juices never are 

 considered as sufficiently concentrated till a few drops pro- 

 duce at a distance a repulsive action on the blood. An Indian 

 wounds himself slightly, and a dart dipped in the liquid Cu- 

 rare is held near the wound ; if it makes the blood return to 

 the vessels without having been brought into contact with 

 them, the poison is judged to be sufficiently concentrated." 

 Not less eccentric are the accounts which we receive ft'om 

 Hartzinckfj who was informed that, in order to try whether 

 the poison be good, a poisoned arrow is shot into a young 

 tree ; if the tree shed its leaves in the course of three days 

 the poison is considered strong enough. He observes further, 

 that in the last rebellion of the Negroes in Berbice, a woman 



* Communicated by the Author. 



t Beschryving van Guiana, door J. J. Hartzinck, etc. Amsterdam, 1770, 

 vol. i. p. 13. 



