232 The National Geographic Magazine 



A Fish Intoxicant ; the Fruit of the Barringtonia spcciosa, Natural Size 



The natives of Guam, and of a number of other tropical islands of the Pacific, use this 

 fruit to stupefy fish (see opposite page). The species does not occur in the Hawaiian Islands, 

 but it is found in the Malay Archipelago, the Andaman Islands, and Ceylon. The fruits are 

 light, and as the tree grows down to the very edge of the sea, they often fall into the water 

 and are carried by currents and cast upon other shores. The dried fruits are used by the 

 natives as floats for their nets. 



