DIOECIA. 2 7 



taken as poison . b In Sussex, a few years ago, a 

 young lady and her servant who had, by mistake, 

 taken a decoction of yew leaves for the ague at night, 

 were both found dead in the morning ; and Dr Per- 

 civai has recorded a case of three children who were 

 killed by a spoonful of the green leaves injudiciouly 

 administered to them as a medicine : to these might 

 be added other well authenticated facts of the same 

 kind, to shew its powerful effects as a poison on the 

 human constitution. 



As early as the days of Theophrastus, the fruit of 

 the yew was eaten, and considered as harmless, and 

 down to our own time I know of no fact to invalidate 

 his testimony. Every one may remember, with old 

 Gerarde, who, with his usual simplicity says, " when 

 I was young and went to school, I and divers of my 

 school- fellows did eat our fills of the berries of this 

 tree." Yet, for reasons which I have already given, 

 respecting the berries of the Cherry-laurel, it may be 

 as well to reject them. 



PITCHER-PLANT. Nepenthes distillatoria. 

 This very curious and singular plant is a native of 

 many parts of the East Indies. It is found in the 

 island of Amboyna and Ceylon. It grows in vallies, 



b Cativolcus, rex dimidiae partis Eburonurn, qui una cum 

 Ambiorige consilium inierat, aetate jam confectus, quum labo- 

 rem aut belli aut fugae ferre non posset, omnibus precibus detes- 

 tatus Ambiorigem, qui ejus consilii auctor fuisset, taxo, cujus 

 magna in Gallia Germaniaque copia est, se exanimavit. 



Lib.vi. sec. xxxi. 



