66 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



place to place, followed closely by young birds, which receive 

 their food from the parent birds' bills. A field of standing oats 

 is much appreciated by this species ; failing this, milk thistle and 

 flat weed (Hypocharis, sp.) seed come next in favour. Immigration 

 to warmer parts begins during March, and continues to mid 

 April, after which no more are seen until the following spring." 



In another nest of five eggs, with the young hatching out by 

 9/12/96, two left the nest on 10/ 1/97 ; one was taken for my 

 identification on the nth, and two left 14th January — thus 32-36 

 days elapsed after hatching. 



Five young birds in another cavity appeared to be ready to fly 

 on the 19th day from time of birth, but no record was kept after 

 this, and it was probably too early for even precocious parrots. 



In a young bird taken in December from the nest by Mr. 

 Graham, the important moult was made in the following May. 



ON SOME POISONOUS PLANTS. 

 By G. a. Keartland. 



{Read before the Field Natural ists' Club of Victoria, Vlth tie^jt., 1898.) 

 Members of this Club will doubtless be surprised at the 

 announcement of a paper on a botanical subject from one whose 

 name has always been associated with zoology, but my apology 

 for trespassing on the domains of others must be my desire to 

 obtain information, and the conflicting opinions expressed by 

 various authorities on the nature of some plants — notably, 

 Euphorbia Drummondii. Whilst Baron von Mueller and others 

 have pronounced it poisonous to stock, Mr. Stanley, F.R.C.V.S., 

 Chief Inspector of Stock of New South Wales, declares it to be 

 not only innocuous, but even a good fodder plant, which stands 

 drought well. He has published a tabulated list of experiments 

 which he tried on sheep at Yanko Station in March, 1896. His 

 opinion is also endorsed by a number of stockowners. At the 

 same time Mr. Stanley admits that stock may gorge themselves 

 with it in such a manner as to distend the first stomach, cause indi- 

 gestion, followed by fermentation in the stomach and distension 

 of the abdomen, and produce mechanical pressure on the vital 

 organs and death by suffocation. Now, I think it matters very 

 little to the traveller far from civilization whether his horses or 

 camels die from mechanical pressure on the vitals or poison, so 

 long as death follows the consumption of the plant. But in my 

 opinion Mr. Stanley's experiments, carefully and completely 

 carried out so far as they went, lack finality, from the fact that 

 they were all crowded into seven days instead of being tried at 

 various stages of the growth of the plant. The importance of 

 this point will be seen later on, from a itw facts which have 

 occurred under my own observation. 



