222 Fish-Poisoning in the Hawanan Islands 
(Plate XVII B). The mass was again pounded, until it was re- 
duced to the fineness of chaff. It was then gathered up very care- 
fully, even to the scraping of the matted fibre from the bedrock, the 
whole process of pounding taking twenty minutes. The resulting 
hola was a dark rich green in color, and was slightly moist to the 
touch. 
The hola and grass were carried quickly to the edge of the 
pool. The grass was taken up in small bunches, which were bent 
and twisted roughly into “spoons”, and a double handful of hola 
was placed in the bowl of each (Plate XVIII 4). The employ- 
ment of the grass was to avoid the bites of eels. As rapidly as 
possible the filled spoons were thrust under the rocks and into the 
holes in the sides of the pool, and were then withdrawn, leaving 
the hola behind (Plate XVIII B). The spoons were quickly re- 
filled and re-emptied, but they held together for only about three 
dips, after which the men used their bare hands—apparently there 
was insufficient time to make new spoons. Throughout, the actions 
of the-men were very quick, as rapid as the needs of photograph- 
ing would permit; they seemed anxious to get the hola into the 
water in the freshest condition possible. The stain from the hola 
had the strong green tint of stagnant salt water. It spread grad- 
ually through the pool, beginning to show within half a minute. 
Before the hola was all placed in the water (the operation taking 
about five minutes) some fish were seen making their way to the 
entrance of the pool, which was thereupon blocked by dropping 
the seine on it in a heap. 
Within ten minutes after the first immersion of the poison, 
the fish (except the eels) were swimming about aimlessly, or float- 
ing either on or below the surface of the water. Many were taken 
with the hand, but most of them with the dip nets. In fifteen min- 
utes all the fish in sight had been gathered except the eels, which 
were resistant to the full effects of the poison.? Some of the lat- 
ter began to wriggle out of the pool. It was surprising to note that 
the small ohua seemed to be affected much more slowly than the 
other and larger fishes. Another point of interest was the quantity 
SW Re ae Me AC) 
A similar condition was noted on Ponape. Christian, F. W., The 
Caroline Islands, p. 126, London, 1899. 
[6] 
