272 
Hamlet is Ragged by the Indians. 
folium Schult., the Coutoubea spicata Aubl., Tamonea mutica Pers., 
8 'pennera aquatica Mart., 8. circaeifolia DeC., Pectis elongata Humb. 
Bonp. and (Trichospira menthoides Humb. Bonp. Amongst bushes 
appeared Coffea calycina Benth., llelictcres guazumae folia Humb. 
Bonp., Waltheria itwolucrata Benth., Eugenia Schomburgkii Benth., 
E. polystachya Rieht., Acacia Westiana DeC. and, for the Indians, the 
very important Lonchocarpus densiflorus Benth., with the milky pungent 
root-juice of which these people stupefy the tisli. When the Indians 
want to carry out a poisoning expedition, they smash and squash up the 
roots beforehand with huge wooden clubs and throw the mass into the 
water at those spots where they notice the fish to be plentiful ; in about 
10 to 15 minutes its effects are visible upon the scaled denizens. They rise 
to the surface, spring out of the water, gasp for breath, and then turn 
belly upwards, in which condition they are caught by hand or shot with 
the arrow. The small finger-long fry usually die while the larger fish 
generally recover after a time. Besides the Lonchocarpus densiflorus 
the Indians also use for the same purpose the/ Tephrosia toxicaria, 
T. cinerea Pers., Phyllanthus Conami Sw\, and Clibadium asperum DeC.: 
none of these plants shows itself as effective as the Lonchocarpus. 
782. The hunters were just as fortunate on the chase as I had been 
on my botanical trip, for they not only brought several Aguti but also 
the tasty Tetrao and equally dainty Psophia crepitans back to camp, the 
site of which they found again as accurately as if they had been 
conversant with these forests for years, although they, like ourselves, 
had only set their foot in them for the first time to-day. A peculiar form 
of ants’ nest, which I mostly found on the trees in the angles of the 
branches with the trunk, also had considerable interest for me. It had 
quite the shape and size of an average gourd, and w T as constructed out of 
small leaf particles and clay. Thousands of the insignificant dark in- 
habitants lived together in one nest, and on the least movement fell upon 
the person passing along below or upon the ground. 
783. We were to learn this evening that the Indian has a talent for 
ragging, and possesses a certain degree of mischief. With fairly evident 
signs of scorn and contempt they had already noticed since yesterday 
how r Hamlet, a man whom they already could not tolerate as a Negro, 
was so terribly afraid of the kaimans. We, others, were apparently all 
lying in our hammocks, and only Hamlet had still to clear away this and 
that of his wares, wdien he also put the last piece aside and with a 
contented countenance hurried off to bed. A frightful cry for help 
suddenly reached us from there. We all anxiously jumped to our feet 
and rushed to the spot where w T e found the poor devil shivering in all his 
limbs and his eyes starting out of his head; he was standing close 
to his hammock as if rooted to the spot. After a long fruitless 
enquiry as to what w r as the matter, he finally shouted out that 
there was a live kaiman in his hammock. Smiling at the silly 
imagination of the miserable wretch we w T ent to examine it with lights 
so as to convince him that his fears were groundless, and really found in 
it a reptile four feet in length; it had been shot in the course of the 
forenoon by some Indians, and had got a long bush-rope tied to its legs. 
