May, 1922.] 



The Canadian Field-Naturalist 



95 



over the prairies as far even as Manitoba. We 

 collected a few specimens, which are now in the 

 Provincial Museum at Regina. I first noted the 

 bird in November, 1912; probably it visits this 

 locality in more or less numbers every winter. 

 Excepting once, I have seen them only in and 

 around our corrals and stackyard where they 

 feed on weed seeds like other finches. During the 

 winter of 1916-17, I saw or heard of several and 

 while sitting in the train noticed a couple feeding 

 with some House Sparrows at the foot of a grain 

 elevator in Eastend. It is a silent bird and its 



only note is a soft "que, que" when distrubed. 

 All the birds we saw were apparently tephrocotis. 



For the first time in my experience a Crow tried 

 to winter here, being seen on February 5th, and 

 6th. After that the weather turned very stormy 

 and cold and we saw it no more. 



The Horned Lark is now a resident throughout 

 the year, though it may be that quite a number 

 of our little winter birds are from the far north. 

 They are certainly much lighter on the under 

 parts. 



NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS 



Subscriptions for 1922 are now due; by 

 paying promptly you will greatly facilitate 

 the publishing of this magazine. 



Skin Irritation Due to Plant Poisoning. 

 Having been a victim at times to poison ivy, 

 Mr. Gussow's paper on the subject was of con- 

 siderable interest to me. If he has found an 

 active cure to the complaint he has conferred a 

 benefit on all out-door enthusiasts. I can testify 

 that some people are more or less immune to its 

 effects. As a child and a youth, I handled the 

 plant fearlessly. Our place at Muskoka was 

 over-run with poison ivy and it was only through 

 my mother and I pulling it up by the roots (with 

 bare hands as we would any other weed) year 

 after year that it was eradicated. This was 

 largely done in warm summer weather when 

 perspiration was profus^. We crushed it into 

 large baskets and carried it to the fire-place where 

 we had almost nightly camp-fires. Neither of us 

 showed any signs of poisoning though all the 

 conditions seemed most favourable for it. Our 

 immunity was undoubtedly constitutional. 



Years after, again in Muskoka, my mother, not 

 fearing the plant, attempted to clear a neighbor's 

 place of it after the old method, and came down 

 with a perfectly terrible case of ivy poisoning, 

 whereby she was confined to bed for a week or 

 more. Similarly I have since found that I could 

 no longer expose myself with safety to the plant. 

 Whilst not peculiarly susceptible, I have had 

 several attacks on much slighter provocation 

 than I used to offer to the plant in the old days. 

 It is evident that whilst there are various degrees 

 of partial as well as complete constitutional 

 immunity towards ivy poisoning, the protection 

 may be lost at any time. I do not doubt that 

 various physical and physiological conditions 

 affect susceptibility, but one would naturally 

 expect that when the pores of the skin are being 

 ^Jthoroughly flushed outward . by profuse perspira- 



tion, it would be one of the poorest times for 

 external poisons to be transfused inward. 



During comparatively moderate attacks on the 

 hands, especially in the soft skin between the 

 fingers, I found that a thorough washing with 

 coarse laundry soap gave more relief than 

 anything else. Fine toilet soap, however, was 

 almost useless. I took the strongest and harshest 

 laundry soap and worked up a good lather on the 

 hands, continuing the washing motion (which, 

 under the circumstances is far from a disagree- 

 able proceeding) until the lather vanished and 

 the hands were practically dry. This may not 

 cure, but it certainly gives relief from the intense 

 irritation for from half an hour to an hour, when 

 it may be repeated. The virtue in the treatment 

 lies in the large amount of free alkali in the soap 

 and the massaging, the soapy principle assisting 

 the latter and preventing friction. The soap 

 drying on the afflicted parts may also hold the 

 alkali in place longer than an ordinary wash 

 would remain. This is an easy remedy, always 

 available, and is good at least for light cases. 



It may also be noted that Poison Ivy, Rhus 

 toxocodendron, is not the only plant that may 

 cause these irritations. Poison Sumach (Poison 

 Oak) Rhus vernix, is equally bad. One of our 

 common green house Primulas is also a source of 

 danger to many people, as well as that most beauti- 

 ful orchid, the Showy Lady's Slipper, Cypripedium 

 hirsutum. Whether the above treatment is 

 equally effective with poisons from all these 

 plants I cannot say. P. A. Taverner. 



EuPHYLLOPOD Crustaceans from Canada and 

 Alaska. A few additions and corrections to my 

 article about this subject in this publication. May, 

 1921 (Vol. XXXV, No. 5), may be of interest: 



During a stay in London recently (January, 

 1922) I have assured myself that the specimens 

 ("types") of Conchostraca from Canada mention- 



