To apply it to whale fishing, he makes the
compound up into cartridges of thirty grammes (an ounce) each, which is
enough to kill an animal of 60,000 kilogrammes weight. Each cartridge is
imbedded in the gunpowder contained in an explosive shell which is fired
off on the whale. In a late whaling voyage ten whales received such
missiles, and all died within from four to eighteen minutes after the
infliction of the wound. Out of these ten whales, six were cut up for
their blubber and whalebone. Their remains were handled by careless men,
who frequently had scratches and sores on their skin, and yet not one of
them suffered the slightest injury, a circumstance which Shows that the
poison cannot be transmitted from the fish to the men. Its poisonous
action on the whale is, however, so great that practically the dose will
have to be diminished, so that the death of the creature may not be so
sudden. We should not forget to state that two out of the ten whales
above mentioned were lost by one of the many accidents incident to
whaling, and that two others were of a kind that is not worth fishing
for."
Poisoned Arrows.--Arrows are most readily poisoned by steeping a thread
in the juice, and wrapping it round the barbs. Serpents' venom may always
be used with effect.
Bird-lime can be made from the middle bark of most parasitic plants, that
is to say, those that grow like mistletoe, out of the boughs of other
trees.
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