54 MALAY POISONS AND CHABM CURES 



a black stone (batu ular) as a " snake-stone " ; it is 

 supposed to have been vomited by the snake and to 

 possess luminosity in the dark. The Malay practice of 

 using " snake-stones " is similar to the conjuring tricks 

 of Indian snake-charmers. Castellani and Chalmers 

 describe " snake-stones " as highly polished, very light 

 black bodies said to consist of calcined animal bones 

 soaked several times with blood and calcined after each 

 soaking. Tlie stones are very hygroscopic, and when 

 applied to a wound cling to it and suck up fluids, and 

 perhaps some poison. The word nurbisa (an antidote 

 to poison) is applied by Malays to this kind of charm. 

 The use of the batu gnliga by Malays as an amulet is 

 similar to that of an ancient amulet worn in Cyprus to 

 protect the wearer fi'om the bite of venomous animals. 

 In Malta special amulets consisting of ceiiain smaU 

 stones, which are supposed to be shaped and coloured 

 like the eyes, liver, heart or tongue of a viper, are still 

 in use as an antidote to poison. These Maltese amulets 

 are found in the clay of the traditional caves of St, Paul's 

 Bay, and are steeped in wine wliich is subsequently 

 given to the sick man to drink (Bef. 0). 



The black stone called batu ular is sometimes worn 

 by Malay tliieves as a protective charm. A belt found 

 by the Kelantan Malay police in 1917 on the dead body 

 of a robber contained, among other stones, a so-called 

 batu ulaVy wiapped up, with a wild boar's tusk, in a piece 

 of white cloth which was covered from top to bottom 

 with Siamese drawings, letters and numerals. The belt 

 was described by the police as an amulet commonly 

 worn by thieves ; at the inquest Kelantan peasants 

 described the stones as huntat, or stones found in the 

 bodies of animals supposed to contain usually, but not 

 always, tahsmanic properties. The chief interest in 

 this pohce exhibit centred on a charm that was wrapped 



