216 
gives an elaborate account of the Malayan fish poison, known as “ AKER 
T UBA," and furnished by the roots of Derris elliptica, Benth. To prepare 
it for use, the roots are 'pounded or ground into a fine powder and mixed 
with stiff clay and crushed refuse, such as shrimps or small fish. This 
mixture is made into balls and dried, and these balls are thrown into the 
a like ground bait. In the rivers the Malays take one or more du 
po 
eitis fill them with water and pounded roots. The boat or boats are 
then upset into the river and drift down with the stream, whilst with 
nets and spears they secure the fish as they rise stupefied to the surface. 
Mr. Wray says that the root is also largely used by the Chinese market 
ardeners as an insecticide, for which purpose the fresh roots are finely 
Report of the Royal Gardens, Kew, for 1877, p. 49, and is at present 
growing in the Eeonomie House. The dried roots are shown in the 
Museum No. I 
Mr. F. M. — ga the Colonial Botanist at Brisbane, m 
recently sent to the v Mu useum some — € of the NARDO 
(Marsilea Dri, . Br.), and cakes made from them by the 
natives of the Diamantina diis ict. This sodes is described in the Flora 
Australiensis, vol. vii., p. 684, as yielding “a miserable article of food 
under the name of Nardco.” Tt will be remembered that the * Nardoo 
formed the only food for some time of the unfortunate Australian 
explorers Burke and Wills. Mr. Bailey says in the letter accompanying 
the specimens :—* I have just receiv red from Dr. T. L. Bancroft some 
* samples of Nardoo ‘damper’ or cakes, made by the natives of the 
* Diamantina district ; I send a few with some of the seeds under separ- 
e 
Ilowi de in 
* dampers:—The ‘gins’ (women) take a handful of the seed and let 
* two or fives at a time drop through the third or fourth fingers on to 
“ a flat stone, then in the other hand they have a stone pay which they 
* beat the seed until it is reduced to a yellow powder, this runs down a 
** piece of bark into some utensil, when sufficient quanti) 3 is s obtained 
* it is mixed with a little water and bake 
Poisonous Lecuminovs PrawT.—Amongst the numerous seeds, 
fruits, sed produets that are constantly being received at the Royal 
Garden Bronce were a few pods with bright-red seeds, which 
were aetas enini: by the following account :— 
**] take the liberty of sending to Pee a few pods which I pee in 
Mexico. 'The leaves and seeds of this tree are said to be highly 
poisonous, and to produce tetanus in animals eati ing them. I om 
examined some of the seeds to find whether they contain strychnine, but 
have ascertained that that alkaloid is not present. I shall feel obliged if 
you could tell me whether you know of this plant and whether you could 
give me any information with respect to it. I understand that very large 
quantities of these seeds can be obtained in the mountains around 
ecas in Mexico." 
. Upon examination these - seeds proved to be those of Sophora 
a. escribed by Professor Sargent as a small tree or 
an ‘shrub of T Matagorda Bey, Texas, west to the mountains of New 
