Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-04-02
ANIMALS AND POISON
INSTINCT BY WHICH THEY IDEN-
THY NoxIoUs WEEDS.
The Sense of Smell Natures Chief Safe
guard for Most Species-Birds
Without Discrimination.


The sense by which animals detect the
presence of a poison is mainly that of
smell. They seem to have very little
sense of taste upon the palate. But car
nivorous animals have a kind of half
way" sense between taste and stomach
ache which very soon tells them when
they have taken poison or anything
likely to disagree with them. and nature
has kindly arranged that they can get
rid of it by the throat with very great
ease. An extraordinary instance of this
was quoted in the Country Gentleman
last August. A Scotch keeper had re-
triever which he had taught to fetch any
object that he had left behind him. One
day on the moors in the spring he found
that he had left his knife at a place
where he had been sitting no great way
down the hill, and sent the dog to fetch
It, The dog galloped back to the place,
and, finding the knife, concluded that
that was what he was to fetch, and
picked it up.
SO much at least seems certain from
the sequel, for when the dog arrived he
had not got the knife, and also looked
somewhat shamefaced. The keeper tried
to send him back again, but he would
not go. He went back himself, taking
the dog with him. No knife was there,
and it was certain that had it been
dropped the dog would have picked 1T up.
1t then flashed across his mind that ehe
dog. in. running up the hill with the Oh
ject in his mouth, had swallowed the
knife. Unfortunately. as it apparently
was not uncomfortable the retriever
showed no sign of wishing to do other
than digest it. which, as it was valu-
able dog, the keeper was most unwilling
to risk. So he took handful of salt.
clapped it into the dogs mouth, and held
1t tight for mfnute-and after one or
two coughs the knife made it's appear
ance. The dog was, of course, trying to
get rid of the salt, not of the knife.
Wolves Sharp.
Wolves. tigers, leopards and other car
nivora are difficult to poison because of
the power which they have of rapidly
getting rid of the drug. Lions on the
other hand, are very frequently poisoned
as they eat voraciously and quickly
more like a dog than the other large
skins, especially those brought back by
foreign counts and others from Somali-
land before the regrettable msunder-
standings between tho whites and blacks
large game. were obtained by the un-
sportsmanlke method of poisoning car
casses and leaving them ror the lions to
devour Cattle, which have no less than
four stomachs, are hopelessly poisoned If
once they have swallowed a DOSE whether
In a toxic plant or otherwise. 1t is this
curious arrangement of their interiors
which makes il such q difficult matter to
give cattle medicine at all.
Condition of Health.
In common with human beings. animals
seem to be affected by poison in certain
forms when in a particular condition of
health. At other times they can eat the
same plant shrub with impunity In
certain states of health a man can eat
pork, Holsters, cookies, scallops and other
somewhat risky foods without bad effects.
AT other times the slme edibles would pro-
duce on him the effect of ptomane poison
ing. Two persons may eat of the same food
at the same time. and while one is perfect
ly well afterward, the other may become
violently III. The curious cases of view
poisoning among cattle or horses seem to
be somewhat analogous. They will some
times browse on shoots of yew and take
no harm whatever. At other times they are
obviously made very liz, or die from eating
the leaves. They have even been found
dead with the yew fresh and undigested in
their stomachs Where poisonous plants
are present in any great numbers in herb
age it seems quite impossible to prevent
| cattle from eating them The ''poison
veld'' of parts of the Transvaal has a mar
ticulariy bad reputation caused by plants
one of which Is said to be a species of
tulip-which comes into leaf in the spring
Leaves of Laurel.
In addition to the poisons mentioned
above. the deaths or Illness of English cat
tie have been traced to eating the leaves
of laurel common crowfoot and various
other plants of the Ranunculus family, wild
parsnips and acorns, which are very as
tringent; and also II Is believed to their
eating woody nghtshade. The keeping of
a goat with cattle may possibly be bene-
| fetal because goats eat by choice and with
impunity plants which are injurious to
cows.
Birds seem to have no discrimination
whatever in regard to poisons, probably
because they have almost no sense of smell,
and swallow their food without masticating
| It. They are terrified to paralysis by the
| appearance of a poisonous snake (unless
! the terror be due TO dread of the appear
| ance of the serpent rather than to an in
! herited knowledge of its venomous power J;
but such intelligent birds as rocks will pick
up and eat poisoned grain. and crows and
| ravens readily eat poisoned eggs or meat
| Chickens will eat the poisonous seeds of the
/ laburnum and die from the effects
| Whether birds such as tits and greenfinches
ever do so does not seem to be known
But wild birds are frequently found dying
| in gardens. though apparently they have
/ been In good health a few hours before,
and their death may probably be due to the
| consumption of poisonous seeds.