NATURAL HISTORY OF SELBORNE. 
449 
very beautiful specimens of this wourali ; it looks like hard 
pitch or resin. In his " AVanderings/' Mr. Waterton gives an 
interesting account of its manufacture. He says that its prin- 
cipal ingredient is a vine called wourali. The Indian takes the 
vine and adds to it a root of a very bitter taste, and two kinds 
of bulbous plants, which contain a green and glutinous juice. 
To these are added two kinds of ants, one very large and black, 
and very venomous ; the other is a little red ant which stings 
like a nettle ; he then adds the strongest Indian pepper and the 
pounded fangs of snakes, called Labarri and Counacouchi. It is 
then prepared over a fire. Animals killed by wourali are good to 
eat. 
The Indians will not alloAV any women to be present when 
they make the poison, which is conducted with great ceremony 
and mystery combined. Wourali is said to be a vegetable 
poison — a bird inoculated with a small dose of it will die in 
less than three minutes. My own opinion is that snake poison 
forms a considerable part in its ingredients. 
This engraving shows the dart used with the wourali poison. 
Each dart is about ten inches long and tipped with the poison. 
DARTS TIPPED WITH WOURALI POISON. 
The darts are beautifully fastened together in such a manner 
that they can be rolled round a centre support. To the top of 
the quiver in which the arrows are kept is tied a row of sharp 
teeth of a fish ; with these the Indian cuts half through the dart 
just above the poisoned tip. When the animal is struck the dart 
breaks off short at the point and the little poison-covered end 
remains in the wound, spreading its lethal influences. 
Earth-worms, p. 210, and Snails, p. 250. — My father made 
several observations on earth-worms, I possess his manuscript 
notes on this point, which are to this effect : " The digestion 
of animals is a geological power of greater extent than 
might at first sight be imagined. In the operations of earth- 
worms we find an example. 
" It is a bad thing to plough up ancient pastures, as a number of 
years are required to reform the mould, the result of centuries of 
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