ROTH] ANIMAL FOOD 187 
moving its entrails, filled the cavity with water. They then peeled 
short pieces of mokumoku stems, and with them beat up the water 
until it became frothy, continuing the process, which they called 
frothing, for a quarter of an hour. This was done to remove the rank 
flavor of the flesh, which it did most effectually (BB, 145). 
176. Birds may be snared, “called” within arrow or gun shot, 
hunted with dogs, or sneaked up on and picked off by hand, poisoned 
dart, etc. The use of hiding shelters has already been mentioned 
(sec. 159). The old Dutch residents used to call certain parrots 
noose-birds (Stropvogels) because they were caught with a noose 
(strop) which was effected thus (by the Arawak between the Deme- 
rara and Berbice Rivers) : The Indian, knowing the trees where the 
parrots mostly reside, covers his whole body, as well as the stick to 
which the noose is attached, with leaves. He knows how to let this 
drop dexterously over the bird’s head, and, drawing the stick toward 
him, is always certain of its capture (BER, 85. See also sec. 181). 
177. The spring snare (pl. 41, fig. 2 A) is made of a running 
noose (a) attached to a trigger (6), and thence onto the end of the 
spring (c). Having fixed a thin half-hoop withe (d) firmly into the 
ground, the trigger is arranged in such a manner that so long as the 
connecting string remains taut it will support by pressure the key pin 
(e) placed across the legs of the hoop. Upon this key pin, and at a 
gentle slope, are made to rest some three or four perches, over which 
the noose is spread. The weight of the bird on any one of the perches 
is sufficient to press down the key pin, with the result that the 
trigger being freed, the noose is suddenly dragged upon and tight- 
ened, wherein either head, leg, or wing is caught (WER, tv). I have 
seen this trap used by the Pomeroon Arawak, but it is of a type 
similar to that met with on the Rio Negro (IKXG, 1, 228); indeed, on 
a larger scale, an identical spring snare is employed throughout the 
Guianas for such huge creatures as the tapir and the alligator. 
With the Makusi the staging is done away with altogether (B) and 
instead of a comparatively high hoop a square frame is fixed in 
the ground. The key pin is here kept in position by a potato, ete., 
which, on being shifted or removed by the animal, bird, rat, or 
whatever it may be, sets the spring and with it the noose in motion. 
The Patamona are said to substitute a smooth round pebble for the 
potato. In the Uaupes River district area (C) the half hoop is 
retained, and the staging dispensed with, the key pin itself constitut- 
ing the perch. Once the bird alights on this the trigger is released. 
178. The fall trap (pl. 41, fig. 3 A, B), perhaps of foreign intro- 
duction, is made of a centrally raised cover, the constituents of which, 
made of thin sticks, are jammed together in pairs, placed one above 
the other, in opposite directions, after the two diagonal strings have 
