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The National Geographic Magazine
A Fish Intoxicant; the Fruit of the Barringtonia speciosa, Natural Size
The natives of Guam, and of a number of other tropical islands of the Pacific, use this fruit to stupefy fish (see opposite page). The species does not occur in the Hawaiian Islands, but it is found in the Malay Archipelago, the Andaman Islands, and Ceylon. The fruits are light, and as the tree grows down to the very edge of the sea, they often fall into the water and are carried by currents and cast upon other shores. The dried fruits are used by the natives as floats for their nets.
