pre-ser- T h e fiflies eaten at Mallicollo, caufed in the evening violent
vation chi gripes and loofeneis, preceded by an uneafinefs fimilar
OF M A R I - o ' o r
s e e s . to that which I had fe l t ; a violent head-ach and pain in the face,
with a burning heat, followed immediately after th is ; and extended
to the hands and legs. T h e pulfe was by no means feverifli or
ftrong, as might have been expedted from the great heat which every
one felt, but was rather low and weak. About fixteen or eighteen
perfons who had eaten o f the fifli were all ill o f this-poifon, and
had more or lefs the fame fymptoms, to which we muft add the
fame torpor in the extremities. T h e pains continued for feveral
days in the ftomach and in all the limbs, with the heat and alfo
a giddinefs, which would not fuffer them' to walk or hardly to
ftand. A ll along the' throat they felt a pain equal to that o f an
. excoriation in that part. In fome few patents the falival glands
were fwelled, -and difcharged an extraordinary quantity o f faliva,
fo that it run out o f their months involuntarily. In a few a painful
erection of the penis was obferved : and fome even found that
their teeth were'grown loofe. When they recovered it was but
flowly, and as often as they were expofed to cold, the pain and
fliffnefs of the limbs returned, and Upon the whole every evening
the fymptoms o f reftleffoefs, pain and heavinefs were renewed,'
. nay, after the expiration o f a fortnight when' they were quite free
from pains and other fymptoms, they found themlelves chilly.
The
647
The furgeon prefcribed the fame remedies, which we had preser-
taken by his direftions. A tame Taheitean parroquet, which had q^ J ^ rp-
eaten a very finall morfel o f the fifli died in .great agonies. NER.S-.
A ll the dogs, which had been fed with the bones, fins and entrails
o f the fifli, fell violently fick and continued fib for a long w h ile ;
one that had retired into a boat and was lying in fome water became
. quite paralytic, and was ordered to be caft over-board to
fhorten. his agonies : another dog equally fick, received from his
mafter an infufion o f tobacco by way o f emetic, but he fell a fa-
crifiee to the remedy. A hog which had eaten .of the entrails,
likewife died within 24 hours.
Th e circumflances here related feem to intimate, that the Spitrar
Pagrus or Pargos is not a poiibnous .fifli, but only becomes noxious,
when it has taken fome dangerous food. Th e fifli which
were caught at Port Sandwich, together with, the Pagrus, proved
wholefome, which proves that their food differs from that o f the.
Pargos.. T h e Pet radon Sseleraius alone feems to be poifonous o f i t -
fielf, fince the natives o f New Caledonia were acquainted with its
noxious and deleterious quality > but i f we again eonfider,. that
the Petrodon caufed the fame fymptoms. as the Pargos, (only in an
inferior degree, becaufe we ate fo very little o f it), it is obvious,,
that the Petrodon likewife muff have received-. this deleterious,
quality from the nature o f its food. I.wiih. to have .had it in. m y
power