Page:American Anthropologist NS vol. 1.djvu/91

 72 AMERICAN ANTHROPOLOGIST [n. s., i, 1899

torches in their canoes at night, and that the fish, attracted by the light and attempting to jump over the boat, would land inside. At times the fishermen were compelled to put out the light to prevent the fish from sinking the boat.

Fire was used also for burrowing animals out of their dens ; but the most exciting and effective use of fire for hunting was by the Indians of the plains of the great west. In their annual buffalo hunts large droves of these animals were corraled by means of fire.

The " Digger" Indians of California employed fire in corraling rabbits. In doing this they also obtained large quantities of grasshoppers, the fire having merely singed their wings. "As the squaws picked up the insects they crushed the head between the thumb and finger to kill them, and then tossed them over their shoulders into their conical baskets." These were used for food.

NINTH METHOD OF CAPTURE

The ninth method of taking animals is by poison. This term is used in a general sense and applies to all methods of capture in which the digestive organs are attacked.

Cabeza de Vaca noted the practice of poisoning in Florida. Adair says that it was general throughout the southern states. Dr Chesnut, of the Department of Agriculture, mentions among the poison plants of southeastern United States a horse chestnut {/Esculus pavia L.) used in stupefying fish. The California Indi- ans, when the streams run low and the fish collect in deep holes, cut off the water from above and use soap root which soon causes the fish to float upon the water. The Countess di Brazzk says that the Pima used large quantities of Sebastiana paltnieri for poisoning fish. Lumholtz makes the same assertion with refer- ence to the Tarahumari Indians of northern Mexico, and Squier gives an interesting description of the poisoning of fish by the Payas of Honduras.

Brinton mentions the Moguexes, in southern Colombia, who

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