370 CICUTA. [CLASS V. ORDER II. 



(ompressed. Carpels with five flattish equal ridges. Channels with 

 single simple vitUt, more promiiieflt in the ripe fruit than the ridges. 



Habitat. — Ditches, margins of rivers and lakes, and in low damp 

 meadows in various parts of England, and the lowlands of Scotland ; 

 but not very frequent. Plentiful at Tarnham, and other places on the 

 banks of Lough Erne, Ireland. 



Perennial ; flowering in July and August. 



Water Hemlock, or Cowbane, has a disagreeable foetid odour and 

 pungent taste, possessing poisonous qualities, even of greater energy 

 than the common Hemlock, and producing effects similar to hydro- 

 cyanic acid. The symptoms related of those cases where the plant has 

 accidentally been taken, are first swelling at the stomach, with vomiting, 

 succeeded by total insensibility, finally with severe convulsions, during 

 which there is generally locked jaw, rolling of the eyes, and distortion 

 of the spine; death terminating the sufferings generally within half 

 an hour after taking the plant. When the plant is unfortunately taken 

 into the stomach, the best means appears to he to ha\e recourse as soon 

 as possible to an emetic, followed up with a brisk purgative of repeated 

 doses of oil, assisted by cathartic injections. 



It is a singular circumstance in the history of many plants that 

 while so strongly poisonous to some animals, they may be eaten with 

 impunity by others. Such we find is the ease with the Cowbane; for 

 when taken by most animals it is highly poisonous, but is eaten with- 

 out injury by others, as by horses, sheep, and goats. It is related by 

 Linnaeus that in the moist pastures of Sweden this plant used to cause 

 a considerable yearly loss amongst the horned cattle, until the cause 

 was shown by him to arise from their feeding upon the Cowbane, 

 and the means of preventing its recurrence pointed out. When full 

 grown, Cowbane has a strong disagreeable odour, and is avoided by 

 cattle ; but when it is young, and growing luxuriantly amongst other 

 herbage, it has a very faint smell, and is not discriminated, though 

 almost as poisonous as the older plants. Linna'us, therefore, as a 

 remedy against this yearly loss, pointed out to the owners of the cattle, 

 that if they kept them out of these low pastures until the Cowbane was 

 well grown, they might then be turned into them without fear of loss, 

 for the instinct of the animals would prevent them from eating the 

 I)lant by its disagreeable odour. They took his advice, and adopted 

 this simple remedy ; and from that time these animal losses have ceased. 

 In some parts of Derbyshire this plant is very frequent ; and we 

 remember on one occasion conversing with a farmer who complained 

 of having lost some of his young stock of cattle, and that he was 

 equally unfortunate every year. We walked with him to his nieadow 

 where his cattle had been grazing, and found amongst the herbage a 

 considerable number of young plants of the Cowbane; and remember- 

 ing the circumstance above related of this plant by Linnanis, wc 



