Am.  Jour.  Phrrm.' 
August,  1887. 
Investigations  on  Strophantus. 
423 
the  centre  of  the  continent  above  the  Victoria  Falls  and  the  Zambesi. 
The  stem  is  several  inches  in  diameter  and  rough  outside.  The  plant 
climbs  up  the  highest  trees  and  hangs  from  one  tree  to  another  like  a 
bush-vine.  The  flowers  are  of  a  pale  yellow,  and  last  for  but  a  short 
time  during  the  months  preceding  the  first  rains  of  the  season.  (Oct* 
and  Nov)." 
The  fruit  is  ripe  in 
June }  the  natives  sepa- 
rate the  rough  epicarp 
and  mesocarp,  and  dry 
the  endocarp  containing 
the  seeds ;  hence  the  tawny  S 
appearance  of  the  com- 
mercial follicles. 
The  method  adopted 
by  the  natives  in  poison- 
ing their  arrows,  is  as 
follows :  Before  extract- 
ing the  seed  from  the 
fruits,  they  dig  a  hole  in 
the  ground,  so  that  they 
can  bury  the  comose  hair 
attached  to  the  seed  (for 
fear  of  its  flying  in  their 
eyes),  they  then  coarsely 
grind  the  seed,  and  mix 
it  into  a  paste,  which 
latter  constitutes  the  poi- 
son with  which  the  ar- 
rows are  smeared.  Game 
wounded  by  an  arrow  thus 
poisoned  dies  at  once,  sel- 
dom being  able  to  move  a 
hundred  yards.  The  flesh  ^ 
is  eaten  without  any  evil  effect  accruing.  The  only  precaution  is  to 
squeeze  the  sap  out  of  a  branch  of  the  baobab  tree  into  the  wound 
made  by  the  arrow,  which  is  said  to  mitigate  any  evil  effect  that  might 
result  from  the  poison  being  more  plentiful  in  the  vicinity  of  the  wound. 
The  drug  examined  by  Mr.  Elborne  had  been  presented  by  Mr.  T. 
