Chapter 865 The Wet Season Arrives
Curare, as the name suggests, is the poison that hunters apply on bows and arrows to kill prey.
In different parts of the world, hunters use different types of arrow poison.
Some are extracted from plants, and some are obtained from venomous snakes.
Indian hunters in the tropical rain forests of America like to obtain the poison they need from the brightly colored poisonous dart frogs to make the most classic blowgun darts.
Similarly, the Bushmen hunters in the Kalahari Desert in Africa use the most commonly used bow and arrow poison from Chrysomelidae beetles.
Bifang chatted with the audience while digging.
"In fact, some ecologists believe that this hunting method of Bushmen hunters is a very time-consuming and inefficient hunting method, because collecting poisonous insects itself has a very high time and energy cost, and you also have to make sure you can find them."
"If they could have used more powerful bows and more lethal arrows, their efficiency could have been greatly improved."
"As to why the Bushmen did not do this, there are many explanations. One of is that the Bushmen used this method to hunt not only to meet their survival needs, but also to their cultural customs, tribal game rules and status that must be followed when hunting."
"Another point is that if this toxic substance collected from beetle larvae or pupae is injected into the body of a mammal, it will not produce any toxic side effects. It will only become toxic when it enters the animal's blood system."
"So when you attack, you have to draw blood, otherwise it will be ineffective."
At this time, these fat insects were dug out one by one and placed on the stone pit nearby.
Bifang tied a flat stone to a tree stick with a rope, using it as a simple shovel. He dug around under the myrrh tree and soon dug out one parasite after another from the soil and placed them in a depression in a rock.
There were already quite a few of them piled up in the stone pit. A rough look revealed seven or eight of them. Under the sunlight, the thin cocoon walls shone through, and you could clearly see the big white bugs inside, which were very fleshy.
Seeing Bifang digging a hole, Harley, who had nothing to do, also jumped into the hole and started digging. Unfortunately, this guy was in the way and was driven back by Bifang not long after digging.
After staying on the ground for a while, this guy couldn't sit still. He circled the myrrh tree several times and suddenly started digging the hole in the opposite direction, digging the soil back to the ground.
It is much easier to push the soft soil back than to dig it directly.
If Bifang hadn't discovered it early, a lot of effort would have been wasted.
What's even more infuriating is that the audience seemed to be there to laugh at the joke and no one reminded him. He was really heartbroken, so he decided to punish Harley by cutting off the ostrich eggs tonight.
Poor Harley was driven away again and lay on the ground with nothing to do, not knowing what kind of punishment he had brought upon himself.
Gradually, a circle of large pits appeared around the originally short myrrh tree. Bifang continued digging until sunset, only stopping when he made sure that there were no more beetles nearby.
Bifang filled the soil back with some effort, restoring the area to its original appearance as best he could, and finally counted his harvest.
A total of thirteen beetles were dug up, two of which were parasitic, which were enhanced versions, so the harvest was quite good.
Bifang held the insects in his palm and put them all into the interlayer of his backpack.
"We are not in a hurry to use these insects. Although the venom of the Chrysomelidae beetles is not easy to lose its effect, if it is applied too early, some bumps and scratches will cause the venom to be lost, and that will be a waste of nothing. "
"Although the poison is strong, it doesn't take effect very quickly. As I said before, animals that are shot can often run away 60 to 100 kilometers before they finally slow down and fall to the ground and die. This means that in an emergency, we can't rely on it to save our lives. It can only be used for hunting and chasing."
If you were attacked by a ferocious beast and wanted to rely on this venom to save your life, you would have died countless times already.
Animals are not perpetual motion machines. It would take at least several hours for them to run that far. By the time the poison takes effect and saves their lives, grass may have grown on their graves.
"We can also collect the resin from the myrrh tree for future use."
[Plucking feathers from a passing goose, sure]
[It’s really awesome, I use everything I see, 100% utilization rate]
[What is wilderness survival? (Tactical retreat)]
Bifang then cut another hole in the small tree and used some leaves to catch the branches that were slowly overflowing.
"The three wise men from the East gave Jesus myrrh because it could help heal wounds, hinting at the suffering, sacrifice and rebirth that Jesus was about to face."
"According to legend, myrrh is like the 'blood of the Virgin Mary', which has the power of regeneration and can purify the dirty body and mind; the Old Testament of the Bible records that women use it to cleanse their bodies, especially to deal with reproductive system infections; warriors carry myrrh to the battlefield because it helps heal wounds."
"Compendium of Materia Medica also states that myrrh has the functions of promoting blood circulation, reducing inflammation and relieving pain, and can be used to treat wounds and regulate women's sexual functions. This coincides with the ancient usage in the West."
"Modern science has also proven that it does have this effect. It can treat abscesses, various ulcers and boils, and is also suitable for treating problematic skin such as acne and facial herpes."
"But there is one interesting point. There are some essential oils that can help open the sexual chakra and boost sexual energy, such as sandalwood, patchouli, jasmine, and many others. Many middle-aged men may know more about them. But myrrh is one of the few essential oils that can reduce sexual energy: it can cool down the excessive fire in the body and reduce excessive desires and distractions."
[Don't slander me. Although I am middle-aged, I don't know any of this! ]
【Men should stay away from it】
[I understand. I’ll go buy sandalwood, patchouli, and jasmine essential oils right now]
[Yes, yes]
[Awesome, reverse operation, right?]
[Fangshen, my friend asked me to ask you if there are any other essential oils that can boost sexual energy. I don’t mean anything else. I just want to avoid it and cultivate my body and mind (dog head)]
The setting sun spread out, with a light golden edge bordering the boundary between the earth and the sky, so bright that it was a little dazzling.
Bifang then noticed that it was almost night, so he stuffed the cooled and hardened resin wrapped in myrrh leaves into his bag, started to make a fire to cook, and set up camp for the night.
Jerry, who had been hiding in his bag, secretly came out and began to look around.
When Bifang was using fire to start a fire, he also saw this scene, but he didn't pay any attention to it.
There were not many bushes nearby and everything was in sight. Bifang didn't see any poisonous snakes or any other dangers, so he just let it go.
He always likes to give animals enough freedom, otherwise he feels like he is abusing them.
Maybe I am not a person who likes to be restrained and I yearn for the vast world, and I have the same feeling towards pets.
Broken branches were thrown into the fire pit, making a crisp sound. It was obvious that they did not have much moisture in them and were soon licked by fire snakes and spread, making the fire even more intense.
At this time, night had completely fallen. Bifang gathered the dry leaves together and spread them on the ground.
"Ants are everywhere on the African grasslands, and there are many army ants. Army ants do not have stingers, but they have strong and powerful jaws. The number of colonies can reach 22 million. You don't want to be attacked by them, so when choosing a campsite, you must check whether there are ant nests nearby, or things that will attract ants."
"By the way, in addition to ants, there are also a lot of termites here, so we need to be careful to avoid them as well."
Bifang inserted two wooden spears into the ground, which directly served as the main structure of the hut.
The temperature has dropped significantly in the past few days, especially at night, so we had to build a shack to keep warm.
[Why does this sentence sound so strange to me?]
[What do you mean besides ants, there are also termites? Aren’t termites ants?]
[Termite: I was expelled from the ant group? ]
Bifang stopped what he was doing and said with a smile, "Don't you know? Termites are not ants. To be honest, they are actually relatives of cockroaches."
【！ ！ ！】
【What the hell? 】
[Are termites relatives of cockroaches? ]
"Although the word 'ant' is in their names, termites are not a type of ant. There are huge differences between the two in terms of morphology, evolution, and food habits."
"Ants belong to the order Hymenoptera in taxonomy. They have four wings, all of which are translucent. The two upper ones are obviously larger than the two lower ones."
"But most ants shed their wings when they live on the ground, so we can get an idea of what hymenoptera wings look like by looking at the bees that are most closely related to ants."
"Ants and bees have knee-shaped antennae that are similar to the shape of a "く" (a Chinese character for "く") and have a distinct thin waist, which is what makes them different from termites."
As the explanation went on, the shack on the open space gradually took shape.
Bifang has done this kind of thing too many times. If all he needs is a warm shack, he can even build one in half an hour using the materials if necessary.
"In addition, ants and bees are both holometabolous insects, that is, their life cycle includes four stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. The larvae are small fleshy insects that are completely different from the adults. They have to go through the pupa stage to become winged adults."
"But termites belong to the order Blattodea, also known as Isoptera, in taxonomy. Their upper and lower wings are the same size, and the upper one is thicker than the lower one."
"Blatilla is the scientific name for cockroaches. The larvae and adults of this family are similar in appearance. They only need to molt several times to grow wings. They are insects with incomplete metamorphosis."
"From the perspective of insect evolution, termites are a relatively ancient and primitive insect, closely related to cockroaches, and can be considered one of the oldest ancestors of the insect world. Ants, on the other hand, have only survived for 60 million years and are more closely related to bees."
"The reason why they have always been regarded as ants is that the living habits and reproduction methods of termites are very similar to those of ants. The offspring are also divided into worker ants, soldier ants, and reproductive ants. In terms of sociality, they are basically the same."
As soon as he finished speaking, Bifang's shack was built.
The ground was covered with soft leaves and hay. Harley, who was teasing Jerry next to him, did not hesitate to push away the big rat lying in front of his head and found a comfortable place to lie down.
Jerry and Harley meet each other often these days and have become familiar with each other's relationship.
Harley knew that Jerry couldn't eat it, and Jerry also realized that Harley was not as scary as he imagined.
[My god, it shocked me for a whole year]
[First time hearing about this]
[It is a secret story of insects]
[It turns out it’s not a bug. Another day of learning. 】
After building the hut, Bifang clapped his hands contentedly. At the same time, he took out the ostrich eggs from the fire pit, cracked them, peeled off the shells and distributed them to the animals.
At this time, Harley became excited, came forward, and started eating happily.
Bifang didn't really give less, it was just a joke in his heart.
The IQ of animals is actually very limited. If they are not punished on the spot, but afterward, they have no way of understanding what they did wrong.
So when the matter is done, it is too late to take action.
This is also why many Huskies only remember food but not punishment. They will still destroy the house if they are required to do so. Unless they are caught on the spot, their memory will be almost zero.
"It is best to prepare food at a certain distance from the sleeping area to prevent the noise made by nocturnal animals lured by food from disturbing your rest, and to keep away from the cang qiang attracted by the aroma of food."
"If possible, it is best to build a small tent near the cooking area to store food. Remember not to put food in the sleeping tent, which is a very dangerous behavior."
After eating the second ostrich egg, Bifang found a place to bury the garbage, and today's live broadcast ended here.
“If you’re not alone in the wilderness, then find a place where you can do things together, talk or do other activities away from where you sleep and cook.”
“This area will be the social center of the entire team. Every member who is active in this area is obliged to keep the area clean and tidy, giving it a sense of ritual.”
“Although it may seem useless, it can provide you with unexpected spiritual strength in the wilderness, and may become the key and pillar for survival.”
"Okay, that's all for today's live broadcast. To be honest, I really hope it rains tomorrow so I don't have to go through the trouble of looking for water."
After exchanging a few final greetings with the audience, Bifang turned off the live broadcast and added some wet firewood.
As if knowing the time had come, Jerry automatically got into the backpack. The backpack squirmed for a while and finally stopped, apparently finding its own restraint position.
Bifang also came under the shack, found a good place, turned his back to the campfire, and prepared to rest.
Still not satisfied, Harley licked his lips, looked around at the quiet surroundings, and finally chose to come to Bifang's back, curled up into a ball, and chose to rest with their backs to each other.
I don’t know if Bifang’s words really worked, but God was particularly helpful this time.
Rumbling thunder exploded in the sky and heavy rain fell, once again moistening the long-dry land and symbolizing the end of the dry season.
It's just that the timing seems a little wrong.
Bifang opened his heavy eyes.
It seems to be three or four in the morning now?
