The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1904-05-20
lNSTINST SAVES ANIMALS FROM
POISONING.
Chicago Chronicle

That animals OF every specie can de-
tect poison in food is a well-known fact
Disguised though it may be. the deleteri-
oTs mater is discovered and Instantly
rejected unless. disguised by artificial
means As rule dumb brutes seem TO
have very little sense of taste upon the
palate, But carnivorous animals have a
kind of halfway sense between taste
and stomachahe which very soon tells
them when they have taken poison or
l. anything likely 10 disagree with them,
and nature has kindly arranged that they
can get rid of ii by the throat with very
great case.
Wolves, tigers. leopards and other car
nivora are di1scult 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 felidae.
1t is said that a good many lion skins.
especially those brought back by foreign
Counts and others from Somaliland. were
obtained by The unsportsmanlike method
of poisoning carcasses and leaving them
for 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 II is this curious
arrangement of their interiors which
makes il such a difficult matter to give
cattle medicine at all.
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 or shrub with mpunity In
certain states If health man can eat
pork Holsters, cookies, Scaliops and other
somewhat risky foods without bad ef-
fects. At other times the same edibies
would produce on him the effect Of pto-
maine poisoning. Two persons may eat
of the same food at the same time, and.
while one is perfectly well afterward. the
other may become violently i'll. The cur
ious cases of yew poisoning among cat
tie or horses seem 10 be somewhat anal
oEous They will sometimes browse on
shoots of yew and take no harm whatever
At other times they are obviously made
very i'll or lie from eating the leaves.
They have even been found dead with the
yew fresh and undigested in their stom-
achs. When poisonous plants are pres
ent in any great numbers in herbage it
seems quite impossible TO prevent cattle
from eating them The poison weld 81
parts OF the Transvsal has a particularly
bad reputation caused by plants-one az
which is said 10 he species of tulip.
which comes into leaf in the spring.
In addition TO the poisons mentioned
above, the deaths or Illness 81 English
cattle have been traced 70 eating tie
leaves ~ laurel common crowfoot and
various other plants % the ranunculBs
family. Wild paTsnips and scoras. which
are very astrinEeHt. and also. it Is be-
lioved. To their eating woody Hightshadc
The keeping of a goat with cattle may
possibly be beneficial because goats eat
hy choice ard with !mpuni;y plants which
ere injurious 70 COWS
Birds seem 20 have 10 Discrimination
whatever in regard 10 poisons. probably
because they have almost no sense Il
smell and swallow their food without
ruasticating H. They are terrified u par
isis by the APPEARANCE u 3 poisonous
snake tunsess tie terror - due 20 crezd
q. tkc appearance o1 TIE serT@nt rather
ghzn "a an inherited snozlss.ge u Its
yenoTnou= power bpt ssch intelligent
birds as rocks wi4. pick up and eat Tol-
sonc4 grain. ard crows ard ravens read
Hy est poisoned eggs or meat Chickens
al est TIE poisonous sss3s q the isbsr-
rum and die fr5H1 the effects Whether
birds such IS tits ard gresrfinchrs ever
~ - does npt seer - be kro~n- Bat
Wild birds are frequently foard dying 81
gardens. though ars,sres.;iT theT lad ben
81 good hezfth seE hears before. an5
their Death may Trahab.T b. Que - re
ooaslETp rscn % poisonous s~e5s.