38 A POISON TREE 



the tree-tops and sometimes hanging in coils like huge serpents. 

 Great masses of hartstongue fern occurred in the forks of the 

 branches, and wherever a tree trunk crossed over our path it 

 was covered with orchids. 



Among other trees I recognised the celebrated tangena, 

 from which was obtained the poison used in Madagascar from 

 a remote period as an ordeal. The tangena is about the size of 

 an ordinary apple-tree, and, could it be naturalised in England, 

 would make a beautiful addition to our ornamental plantations. 

 The leaves are peculiarly grouped together in clusters and are 

 somewhat like those of the horse-chestnut. The poison was 

 procured from the kernel of the fruit, and until the reign of 

 Radama II. (1861) was used with fatal effect for the trial of 

 accused persons, and caused the death of thousands of people, 

 mostly innocent, every year during the reign of the cruel 

 Ranavalona I. 



We arrived at Andranokoditra, a small village with a dozen 

 houses, early in the afternoon. From our house there was a 

 lovely view of the broad lake with its woods and islands, while 

 the sea was only two or three hundred yards' distance in the rear. 

 Wild ducks and geese of several kinds were here very plentiful, 

 but my friend was not very successful with his gun, as a canoe 

 was necessary to reach the islands where they chiefly make their 

 haunts. After our evening meal Mr Plant slung his hammock 

 to the framework of our hut, and happily did not come to grief, 

 as occasionally happened. I was somewhat disturbed by the 

 cockroaches, which persisted in dropping from the roof upon and 

 around me. There was no remedy, however, except to forget 

 the annoyance in sleep. 



I may here notice that when travelling along this coast a few 

 years later (in August 1883) the sands were everywhere almost 

 covered with pieces of pumice, varying from lumps as big as 

 one's head to pieces as small as a walnut. They were rounded 

 by the action of the waves, and on some of the larger pieces 

 oysters, serpulae and corals had begun to form. This pumice 

 had no doubt been brought by the ocean currents, as well as by 

 the winds, both setting to the west, from the Straits of Sunda, 

 where they were ejected by the tremendous eruption of 

 Krakatoa, off the west coast of Java, during the previous May. 

 This fact supplies not only an interesting illustration of the 



