Dec. 1899.] BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF EDINBUEGII 267 



of India sometimes eat its flowers, which have a sweet acid 

 taste, and eaten in quantities cause intoxication. Tliis 

 species produces a great deal of poisonous honey. 

 R. Anthopogon. — Another Indian form, growing in the high 

 mountain passes, its resinous odour causing headache to 

 travellers over the passes. Even when the plant is dried 

 and in a herbarium the odour is unpleasant." 



But to return to the consideration of A. poUfolia. Seeing 

 it was desirable to find out if any deaths occurred among 

 the sheep or cattle pastui-ed on land where A. poUfolia 

 was known to grow, I wrote one of the most extensive 

 farmers on the Borders, asking him if any unusual death- 

 rate had occurred among his sheep pastured upon a 

 particular area of ground on which I knew the plant was 

 abundant. He replied that he had lost a large number of 

 sheep upon the land indicated. Those sheep were put on 

 the land at different times, and they all took what is known 

 as "louping-ill," or trembling. Sheep bred on the same land 

 are also subject to this disease, but not to the same extent 

 as sheep newly put on. Last June (1899) a post-mortem 

 examination was made on three or four, but all the 

 veterinary surgeon could say about them was that they 

 had died from inflammation. 



There is no death, excepting in the spring months, 

 amongst the ordinary stock, but when strange sheep are 

 brought on during spring or summer months they are almost 

 sure to be affected about ten days after coming on the land. 



In October 1898, he put some ewes on the land, and 

 they were free from disease until the April following. 



In a later letter the same gentleman informs me that 

 last June (1899) he put blackfaced ewe hoggs on the land, 

 and as louping-ill was so bad amongst them he removed 

 them all to the grass fields near the farmhouse. After 

 some time the trouble ceased and the sheep improved, so 

 that he had them removed to other fields. After they 

 were all removed from the fields mentioned, where several 

 had died, and all had louping-ill more or less, he put on 

 some ewes, lambs, and calves. Several, both ewes, lambs, 

 and two calves, took louping-ill. There were no- cases in 

 those fields before, and after about six weeks from the time 

 the hill hoggs left, no other sheep or lambs put into the 

 fields mentioned had disease of any kind. 



My correspondent also informs me that from other 



