64 nature's teachings. 



That arrows so armed should be very terrible weapons is 

 easily to be imagined, but there is another kind of poison which 

 is even more to be dreaded. This is procured from the innOcent- 

 looking, but most venomous, Poison-grub. It is called N'gwa by 

 the Bosjesmans, and is the larval state of a small beetle. When 

 the arrow is to be poisoned, the grub is broken in half, and the 

 juices squeezed upon the arrow in small spots. 



Both Livingstone and Baines give full and graphic accounts 

 of the horrible effect produced by this dread poison, which, as 

 soon as it mixes with the blood, drives the victim into raging 

 madness. A lion wounded by one of these arrows has been 

 known nearly to tear himself to pieces in his agonies. M. 

 Baines was good enough to present me with the N'gwa grub in 

 its different stages, together with an arrow which has been 

 poisoned with its juices. 



The Bosjesmans are themselves so afraid of the weapon, that 

 they always carry the arrows with the points reversed, the 

 poisoned end being thrust into the hollow reed which forms 

 the shaft of the arrow. Not until the arrow is to be discharged 

 does its owner place the tip with its point uncovered. 



Vegetable Poisons. 



We now come to the Vegetable Poisons, the two best known 

 of which are the Upas poison of Borneo, and the Wourali of 

 South America. It is rather remarkable that in both these 

 cases the arrows are very small, and are blown through a hollow 

 tube, after the manner of the well-known " Puff-and-dart " toy 

 of the present day. . 



The Upas poison is simply the juice of the tree, and it does 

 not retain its strength for more than a few hours after it has 

 been placed on the arrow-points. A supply of the same liquid 

 is therefore kept in an air-tight vessel made of bamboo, the 

 opening being closed by a large lump of wax kneaded over it at 

 the mouth. One of these little flasks, taken from a specimen in 

 my collection, is seen on the extreme right of the illustration. 



The Wourali poison owes all its power to its vegetable ele- 

 ment, though certain animal substances are generally mixed 

 with it. The principal ingredient is the juice of one of the 

 strychnine vines, which is extracted by boiling, and then care- 

 fully inspissated until it is about the consistency of treacle. 



