524 



de la Condamine has given so much celebrity in 

 Europe, and which begins to bear the name of 

 ticuna, somewhat improperly, is extracted from 

 a liana, that grows in the island of Mormorote, 

 in the Upper Maragnon. This toxique belongs 

 partly to the Ticunas, who remain independant 

 on the Spanish territory near the sources of the 

 Yacarique ; and partly to Indians of the same 

 tribe, inhabiting the Portugueze mission of 

 Loreto. Poisons being indispensable in those 

 climates to the existence of hunting nations, the 

 missionaries of the Oroonoko and the Amazon 

 seldom oppose this kind of manufacture. The 

 poisons we have just named differ totally from 

 that of La Peca*, and from the poison of Lamas 

 and of Moyobamba. I enter into these details, 

 because the vestiges of plants, which we were 

 able to examine, proved to us, (contrary to the 

 common opinion), that the three toxiques of the 

 Ticunas, of La Peca, and of Moyobamba, are 

 not taken from the same species, probably not 

 even from congeneric plants. In proportion as 

 the preparation of the curare is simple, that of 

 the poison of Moyobamba is long and compli- 

 cated. With the juice of the bejuco de ambihu- 

 asca, which is the principal ingredient, are 

 mixed pimento (capsicum), tobacco, barbasco 

 (jacquinia armillaris), sanango (tabernaemon- 



* A village of the province of Jaen de Bracamoros. 



