day, notwithftanding the poifonous fubftance having penetrated the mufcular parts. When the leaves o f this plant are young the cattle are very fond of them, though they are inftant death; the farmers therefore are very cautious not to fuffer them to enter into the tracks which are fufpeded of producing this plant. The fecond is a fpecies of Euphorbia, which is found in that part of the country which is inhabited by Bofhiefmen, and in the Great Nimiqua Land. The gum of this is alfo ufed fox arrows 5, but: the plant is more commonly ufed for poifoning the water where the animals refort to d rin k ; and a llranger who travels in that country, muft be very careful in examining the fpring before he drinks. This plant grows from about fifteen to twenty feet in height, fending out many branches full of ftrong fpines. The natives cut off as many of the branches as they think necef- fary for the deftrudion of the animals they intend to poifon. They generally condud the water a few yards from the fpring into a pit made for the purpofe ; after which they p u t in the Euphorbia, and cover the fpring, fo that the creatures have no choice : and in that country water is very fcarce; fome- times it is twenty miles from one fpring of water to another. T h e only animal I ever faw poifoned by this means, was. a Z eb ra ; it had fcarcely proceeded half a mile from the water before it dropped : and I was affined by the natives, that none efcaped which drank of fuch w ater; though they declared the flelh was not injured by the poifon. The third vegetable poifon proceeds from a fpecies of Rhus, which is only found near the Great River, or Orange River ; and is faid to be very dangerous. When this poifon is extrading, the operators cover their eyes, as the leail drop touching that organ would certainly deprive them of light. It is fome- times ufed for arrows. The fourth is the only poifon really ufeful to the European inhabitants ; it is a fmall ihrubby plant, producing a nut, called by the Dutch, Woolf Gift, or Wolf Poifon, which they ufe for poifoning Hyenas. Th e method of preparing this, is by taking the nuts and roafting them as they do coffee, after which they pulverize th em : they afterwards take fome pieces o f meat, or a dead dog, which they fluff full of the powder, and throw them into the fields. The voracious Hyenas meeting with any thing o f this kind, foon devour it, and in general are found dead the following day. INDEX.
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