Fish-Poisoning in the Hazwatian Islands 225 
and diversity of the fishes which soon appeared in the pool from the 
various crevices. The specimens were all small, the longest eel 
measuring 20 inches, and the longest of the other fishes 6 inche&. 
Observations on the drugging were greatly hindered by the unex- 
pected interest of the spectators, mostly women and children from 
Honaunau village. These Hawaiians, instinctive fishers, naturally 
became much excited when the fish began to swim around in a 
dazed and “catchable” condition. Women and children piled into 
the pool, clothes and all, in a desire to help, and caught fish right 
and left with the greatest glee. The light was too dull to photo- 
graph except with time exposure, or the very animated scene might 
have been visually recorded. 
An incident that occurred during the hola fishing at Honanau 
illustrates a marked Hawaiian characteristic—the desire to please. 
After the first excitement had calmed down, and the fish had been 
sorted, named, and counted, the men were posed for their photo- 
graph with their somewhat insignificant catch (Plate XIX 4A). 
Just before the plate was exposed, the man on the left seized his 
stick, and jumping behind the rock where his father was standing, 
began to poke vigorously in the water. He was ordered back, as it 
was supposed he was merely chasing another fish. During a second 
pose he repeated the performance, and was called back with a severe 
reprimand. » No explanation was given. On the third attempt to 
photograph the movement began again, and then an eel came flying 
through the air, kicked out of the water by the vigorous old man. 
This eel, the cause of the disturbance, was one of the kind called 
puhi wela-wela (==hot) because its bite causes a “hot wound’’— 
and the patient fellows were doing their best to be accommodating 
while the half-drugged eel was swimming around their bare feet! 
One and a half hours after the proceedings described, the pool 
was again visited. Fresh sea water had meanwhile entered and 
made a clear border two feet wide along one side of the pool. It 
contrasted very strongly with the green tint of the poisoned water. 
In the clear water there were a number of active ohua—appar- 
ently recent arrivals from the ocean. Half as many more fish as 
previously taken were seen lying dead on the bottom, including 
some eels. Other eels, however, were still struggling in the 
zat 
