SOUTH AMERICA. 
55 
it, one end being as thick as the other. It is of a first 
bright yellow colour, perfectly smooth both inside- 
and out. It grows hollow; nor is there the least 
appearance of a knot or joint throughout the whole 
extent. The natives call it Ourah. This, of itself, 
is too slender to answer the end of a blow-pipe ; but 
there is a species of palma, larger and stronger, and 
common in Guiana, and this the Indians make use 
of as a case, in which they put the ourah. It is 
brown, susceptible of a fine polish, and appears as if 
it had joints five or six inches from each other. It 
is called Samourah, and the pulp inside is easily ex¬ 
tracted, by steeping it for a few days in water. 
Thus the ourah and samourah, one within the 
other, form the blow-pipe of Guiana. The end 
which is applied to the mouth is tied round with a 
small silk-grass cord, to prevent its splitting; and 
the other end, which is apt to strike against the 
ground, is secured by the seed of the acuero fruit, 
cut horizontally through the middle, with a hole 
made in the end, through which is put the extremity 
of the blow-pipe. It is fastened on with string on the 
outside, and the inside is filled up with wildbees’-wax. 
The arrow is from nine to ten inches long. It is The 
made out of the leaf of a species of palm-tree, called anw * 
Coucourite, hard and brittle, and pointed as sharp 
as a needle. About an inch of the pointed end is 
poisoned. The other end is burnt to make it still 
harder, and wild cotton is put round it for about an 
inch and a half. It requires considerable practice to 
put on this cotton well. It must just be large enough 
