1 1 8 The Trees of Great Britain and Ireland 



occurrence of poisoning. Also the half- dried leaves would be, cceteris paribus, 

 more potent than the fresh. 



" Further and extended chemical researches, in conjunction with physiological 

 experiments, are necessary to clear up the matter. 



" The principle having a specific uterine action is possibly not the same as 

 that which causes death." 



This poison, if taken in sufficient quantity, is deadly to man, horses, asses, 

 sheep, cattle, pigs, pheasants, and possibly other animals, but under ordinary 

 circumstances small quantities of the leaves may be and are habitually eaten by 

 live-stock without apparent injury, whilst it seems proved that the wood of the yew 

 may be used for water vessels and for baths, as in Japan, without any deleterious 

 effects. 



Sargent, Silva of North America, vol. x., 63, says " no cases of poisoning 

 by Taxus in North America appear to be recorded " ; and Brandis, Forest Flora 

 of British India, p. 541, says that "in India domestic animals are said to browse 

 upon T. baccata without experiencing any bad effects." 



With regard to the danger of allowing this tree to grow in hedges and 

 fields where stock are pastured, there seems to be abundant evidence, which is 

 well summarised by Mr. E. P. Squarey, and which my own experience entirely 

 confirms, that though animals which have been bred and fed in places where 

 they have access to yew are more or less immune, probably because they never 

 eat it in sufficient quantity to do harm, yet that animals freshly turned into such 

 places when hungry, or in winter and spring when there is little grass, are liable 

 to die from eating it, and that fatal effects most commonly ensue when loppings 

 or partially withered branches and leaves are eaten. 



It has been held in more than one case that landowners, and others responsible 

 for keeping up fences, who allow yew trees to remain insufficiently fenced, are 

 liable to an action for damages if another person's cattle from adjoining land eat 

 the branches and die. 



With regard to the danger of yew trees in game coverts we have little exact 

 knowledge, but in certain cases there seems to be evidence of its being poisonous 

 to pheasants, and the following passage, which was communicated by Sir William 

 ffolkes, Bart., of Hillington Hall, Norfolk, to the editor of xh& Journal of the Royal 

 Agricultural Society, 1892, p. 698, is worth quoting in full. 



" Some years ago, when shooting through the coverts here the second time, 

 we found about fifteen carcasses of pheasants under some yew trees. These 

 could not have been overlooked the first time in picking up, as there was no 

 stand anywhere near this place where so many pheasants could have been shot. 

 My keeper informs me that it is after the pheasants have been disturbed by 

 shooting that they take to perching in the yew trees. This may or may not be 

 so, but at any rate it appears that, when they take to perching in these trees, 

 they are apt to eat a few of the leaves. We now always drive them off the yew 

 trees when they go to perch at night. I enclose some of the yew which 

 poisoned the pheasants, and would like to add that never before this year have 



