of the "Ranunculus aquatilis. S13 



but more particularly the ahoinafum, which he found much 

 more deeply ulcerated than the others ; and the milchief had 

 extended into the fmaller inteftines. 



The avidity with which (heep, horfes, and cows, cat the 

 B.anunculus arvenjis, is, as M. Brugnon juftly obferves, an 

 exception to the commonly received maxim, that herbivorous 

 animals are, by inftinft, led to rejeft whatever is noxious. 

 We fee frequently that hunger will impel our domefticaled 

 cattle, efpecially on being firft turned to grafs in the fpring, 

 to eat ahnoll all vegetables promifcuoufly. So;ne of our 

 farmers are aware of the effects of Croivfoot , of which the 

 R. acr'is and R. hnlhofus are fo common in our paftures, and 

 by which the mouths of their cattle are frequently inflamed 

 and bliftered ; and doubtlefs the effects often extend much 

 further, and fometimes prove fatal. There can be little 

 doubt of the fame deftrnftive confequences from other poi- 

 fonous plants, in cafes where the caufe is little fufpefted. 



M. Krapf, who inftituted a fet of experiments wholly con- 

 fined to this genus of plants *, attributes to the R. aqualilis 

 the deleterious qualities belonging to the others; obferving, 

 that it will veficate the fkin, but is flower in its operation 

 than the R. hdbofns and R. Jceleratus. Bifliop Gunnerus 

 alfo, in his Flora Nofjcgica t, tells us, that this fpecies is 

 not lefs noxious to cattle than the R. Jceleratus ; that even 

 the goat, an animal lefs nice in the feleftion of its food tliaa 

 the others, leaves it wholly untouched. 



It is well known to botanifts, that the Ranunculus aqua' 

 iU'is of Linnaeus comprehends four fpecies of the older writers ; 

 and even Haller, and fome more modern authors, ftiil keep 

 them feparate : among whom, the late profeffor Sibthorp, in 

 his Flora Oxonienfis, enumerates them diftinftly, under the 

 names of, l. R. hcterophjllus, or R. aquatilis Gcr. cm. 839. 

 Ray Syn. 249. 2. R. aquatilis, or R. aquatilis omnino te- 

 nuifoluis J. B. ill. 781. Ray Syn. 249. 3. R. circinatus^ 

 R. aquaticus albus, circinatis tenulflime dlvlfis fohis, floribus 

 ex alia longis pediculis innixis Fluk. aim. ^11. t. 55. 2. Ray 



* C, Krajif, Rxpcrimcnta dc nonnullorum Rannnculorum venenata 

 qualitate, horuin extcino ct intcnio ulu. fiiKna i^kd. iivo. p. 107. 

 f No. 646. 



Syn, 



