BY THE REV. J. E. TENISON-WOODS. 49 



filaments. It is soluble in 150 parts of water at F. 57° or 25 

 parts boiling water, and in ether, alcohol, and acetic acid. It is 

 intensely bitter, and has been found to be poisonous to dogs, goats, 

 cows, crocodiles, birds, and some insectS. On man its effects are 

 nausea and sickness, with staggering, trembling, tetanic convul- 

 sions and insensibility. It is very fatal to fish, roach being killed 

 very easily, but barbel with more difficulty. The barbel is the 

 fish which, of all others when captured by this method, has pro- 

 duced serious results in those who ate it. It is thought that this 

 is because these fish are less affected by the poison, and taking a 

 longer time to die a larger quantity of it is absorbed.* The 

 method of employing the seeds for the capture of fish is probably 

 to throw a handful or more into the water over-night, and in the 

 morning the fish are found lying on the surface stupefied for the 

 most part, and a few dead. This is what is done in England, 

 France, and to my knowledge in Australia. 



2. Derris uiiginosa, Benth. In Malay Tuba-kayu, in the 

 Sundanese kingdom of Java Tuba-awewe. The genus contains 

 about 35 species, most of them belonging to the flora of tropical 

 Asia. Two extend into tropical Africa and Australia. One of 

 these is the species above-mentioned, of which Mr. James Britten, 

 F.L.S., in the Treasury of Botany, states that the stems are used 

 in Zambesi Land as a fish-poison, and act very effectively and 

 speedily. I was informed in Java that it was the bast of the stem 

 which was thrown into the water, and very soon caused the fish to 

 rise stupefied. It is a tall, woody, glabrous climber, and from the 

 specific name affects swampy grounds. Leaflets in the common 

 form five or seven, one and a-half to three inches long, obtusely 



* "According to Sprengel," says Pereira (Vol. II., Pt. II., p. 666), " the 

 fruit Cocculus indicus was introduced by the Arabians, and was described 

 by Avicenna and Serapion under the name of Maheradsch." In the copy, 

 however, of the Latin translation of Avicenna (Venice, 1564), the word 

 Maheradsch does not occur, but Mahezeheregi or Maheizhera is said to 

 intoxicate fish. Nor can I find it in Serapion. Anamirta cocculus is some- 

 times termed the Levant Nut or Bacca orientalis. 



