126 MALAY POISONS AND CHAEM CUBES 



AMPHIBIANS 



FROGS AND TOADS 



The use of bile from kaiak pimngj the bright green 

 tree-frog (Eana erythr®a, Schleg.), as a poison with 

 snake bile has been mentioned above. The galls of two 

 kinds of toad — (1) katak Umbu or hertandok, a horned 

 toad-frog (Megalophiys nasuta, Schleg., Pelobatidse), 

 and (2) hatah puru, the common brown toad (Bufo 

 melanost ictus, Schleg., Bufonidfe)— are used as poisons. 

 The homed toad-frog is curious because of its almost 

 smooth skin : it is bro^vTiish in colourand the upper eyeUds 

 and snout are produced into large triangular flaps of skin ; 

 it is generally found in Iiill- country. The gall of katak 

 Umbu J the horned toad-frog, is used in combination with 

 decayed rejigut fi*mt, the pill-millepede, and the bile of 

 the honey bear, also with the land-bug Msing (-which see). 

 The common Malay toad, katak puru, is similar to the 

 common European toad ; it is dark yello^^sh or 

 brow^nish with a number of black ridges or warty 

 protuberances on its back and about the head. The 

 gall of this common toad is a favourite excipient vdth 

 Malay poisoners; the most deadly combination in w^hich 

 it is said to be used is mentioned under section Cyanide 

 OP Potassium. 



Speaking generally, toads are shunned : ducks and 

 snakes will not eat them, although both eat frogs ; cats 

 and dogs have learnt by experience to avoid them. 

 Malays say that the " bite " of the common toad is 

 poisonous and deadly. The jungle folk of the Malay 

 Peninsula recognise them as poisonous, as is seen from 

 the following line of the "Toad Song" of the Besisi 

 tribe (Skeat and Blagden) : — 



Kret re7tgkon^ getah hul-dah 

 And the body of the toad extides poison 

 (haa alime that is poisonous). 



