66 



WANDERINGS IN 



First no deleterioiis qualities. Nature has been bountiful to 



JoUKNEY. 



him. She has not only ordered poisonous herbs and 



roots to grow in the unbounded forests through which he 

 strays, but has also furnished an excellent reed for his 

 arrows, and another still more singular for his blow-pipe ; 

 and planted trees of an amazing hard, tough, and elastic 

 texture, out of which he forms his bows. And in order 

 that nothing might be wanting, she has superadded a 

 tree which yields him a fine wax, and disseminated up 

 and down, a plant not unlike that of the pine-apple, 

 which affords him capital bow-strings. 



Having now followed the Indian in the chase, and 

 described the poison, let us take a nearer view of its 

 action, and observe a large animal expiring under the 

 weight of its baneful virulence. 



Many have doubted the strength of the wourali 

 poison. Should they ever by chance read what follows, 

 probably their doubts on that score will be settled for 

 ever. 



Further re- In the formcr experiment on the dog, some faint resist- 



marks on 



the Tiru- aucc ou tlic part of nature was observed, as if existence 



lence of the 



poison. struggled for superiority ; but in the following instance 

 of the sloth, life sunk in death without the least apparent 

 contention, without a cry, without a struggle, and without 

 a groan. This was an Ai, or three-toed sloth. It was 

 in the possession of a gentleman who was collecting 

 curiosities. He wished to have it killed, in order to 



