Mr. Schomburgk on the Indian Arrow Poison. 407 it. When this mould is once formed, it propagates itself by-spores. Such diseases are probably not rare, and only of im-portance to the animals. I have lately observed a disease of the Vibrio, out of whose body a very beautiful but small microscopical mould was developed, from which they died ; the animals twist themselves in all directions, and try to get rid of the diseased product, but in vain ; at length they be-come quiet and die. [To be continued.] XLII. — On the Urari, the Arrow Poison of the Indians of Guiana ; with a description of the Plant from which it is extracted. By Robert H. Schomburgk, Esq.*. More than two centuries have elapsed since the curiosity of Europe was raised to become acquainted with the plant from the juice of which the Indians make their celebrated Urari poison ; and as the preparation has been enveloped in great mysteiy, all the attempts hitherto made have only added con-siderably to the wish of the learned in Europe to be able to sift the true from the fabulous acetfiints. Raleigh appears to have ^beien the first who heard of this substance, with which the-Aborigines poisoned their arrows for war and the chase ; and Father Gumilla observes, that "its principal ingredient was furnished by a subterraneous plant, a tuberose root, which never puts forth leaves, and which is called the root by way of eminence, raiz de si misma ; that the pernicious exhalations which arise from the pots cause the old women to perish who are chosen to watch over this operation ; finally, that these vegetable juices never are considered as sufficiently concentrated till a few drops pro-duce at a distance a repulsive action on the blood. An Indian wounds himself slightly, and a dart dipped in the liquid Cu-rare is held near the wound ; if it makes the blood return to the vessels without having been brought into contact with them, the poison is judged to be sufficiently concentrated." Not less eccentric are the accounts which we receive from Hartzinckt^ who was informed that, in order to try whether the poison be good, a poisoned arrow is shot into a young tree ; if the tree shed its leaves in the course of three days the poison is considered strong enough. He observes further, that in the last rebellion of the Negroes in Berbice, a woman * Communicated by the Author. t Beschryving van Guiana, door J. J. Hartzinck, etc. Amsterdam, 1770, vol. i. p. 13.
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