And Different Methods of Preparation. 
351 
without flowers, but yet supplied with some fruits that confirmed the 
conjecture that it was a species of Strychnos. After „ Meeting the 
necessary Urari bark required, but only removing it from plants which 
were found in full sap, they returned to Pirara. The manufacture of 
the poison was again delayed a few days, for the poison maker maintained 
that he had to submit himself to a strict preparatory fast. During this 
interval a celebrated and influential Macusi chieftain, named Kanaima, 
from Rupununi appeared at Pirara and prevailed upon the poison 
maker to withdraw his promise to prepare the poison in my brother’s 
presence. Although the individual energetically demanded the return 
of the collected bark, my brother refused to give delivery, but took it 
with him when the expedition changed its quarters from Pirara to Fort 
Sao Joaquim. Here he started making researches on his own account 
with the bark of the Strychnos toxifera alone, and to extract poison from 
it. For this purpose about two pounds of bark was pounded up, put into 
a new pot and a gallon of water poured on top. It was left standing 
for 24 hours and half of the extract, that had taken on a brownish 
colour, emptied into another new vessel which was boiled over a moderate 
fire down to the consistency of syrup: during this process the still 
remaining original extract was gradually poured over it. Two fowls 
were wounded with this poison, one in the foot, the other in the neck, 
and though the effects were visible in the course of five minutes, the 
former died 27 minutes, and the latter 28 minutes after inoculation. 
This was a sure demonstration that the Strychnos toxifera alone, with- 
out any mixing of other ingredients, developed the deadly properties, 
and that all the other additions of the Indians did not contribute 
essentially to its strength. The boiling process was already com- 
pleted in 7 hours, while that of the Indians requires often more than 
48. on which account the extract would be considerably more concen- 
trated, and the slower effects of the poison as prepared by my brother, 
explained. It had a light brownish tinge, while that of the Macusis 
showed a brown-black colour, which it probably receives fron the other 
ingredients added to it by these people. 
950. Though the vegetable poison is indigenous among several 
tribes of Indians between the Amazon stream and the Orinoco, its 
manufacture, as well as its remaining ingredients, nevertheless varies 
in every individual tribe. (This want of uniformity in its pre- 
paration is also the reason why its strength and time to take effect 
varies so much amongst the different people who make it. I have already 
stated that the presence of the hardiest plants of Strychnos toxifera is 
strictly limited to a few localities within, the area of country occupied 
by the Macusis. This might well also be the reason why these are 
generally celebrated far and wide as the makers of the strongest poison. 
While the arrow poison of the tribes on the Rio Negro and Orinoco, 
which we obtained by accident, only took effect after hours, the death 
struggle with that of the Macusis occurred in as many minutes. This 
celebrated strength of the Macusi poison annually brings whole caravans 
of Indians from the Rio Negro, Orinoco, and even the Amazon stream, 
