Chap. II. 
PUCHERUMS. 
83 
leterious juice of the plant. In about half an hour all 
the smaller fishes, over a rather wide space around the 
spot, rise to the surface floating on their sides, and 
with the gills wide open. The poison acts evidently 
by suffocating the fishes ; it spreads slowly in the water, 
and a very slight mixture seems sufficient to stupify 
them. I was surprised, on beating the water in places 
where no fishes were visible in the clear depths for 
many yards round, to find, sooner or later, sometimes 24 
hours afterwards, a considerable number floating dead 
on the surface. 
The people occupy themselves the greater part of the 
year with their small plantations of mandioca. All the 
heavy work, such as felling and burning the timber, 
planting and weeding, is done in the plantation of each 
family by a congregation of neighbours, which they call 
a ''pucherum:" — a similar custom to the "bee" in 
the backwood settlements of North America. They 
make quite a holiday of each pucherum. When the 
invitation is issued, the family prepares a great quantity 
of fermented drink, called in this part Taroba, from 
soaked mandioca cakes, and porridge of Manicueira. 
This latter is a kind of sweet mandioca, very different 
from the Yuca of the Peruvians and Macasheira of 
the Brazilians (Manihot Aypi), having oblong juicy 
roots, which become very sweet a few days after 
they are gathered. With these simple provisions they 
regale their helpers. The work is certainly done, 
but after a very rude fashion ; all become soddened 
with Taroba, and the day finishes often in a drunken 
brawl. 
G 2 
