LAMAS AND TICUNAS. 275 



die indeed, but were plainly indisposed; insomuch that they lost 

 their vivacity, and became very sullen. Eight days after this expe- 

 riment, he repeated it on these same animals ; and then they became 

 still weaker and fainter. In fine, the next he made it a third time 

 on them, when they languished four or five days, and then died. 



August the 15th, after having put some of the same poison into 

 a wound made in the right hinder leg of six horses, one of which 

 was a very vigorous stone-horse, he quickly bled them all in the 

 neck to fainting: two of them escaped with life; but those that 

 were the weakest, and most worn out could not stand against 

 this operation. Two days afterwards, he again pricked those horses 

 that did not die of the last experiment; and then they died in about 

 eight minutes. 



He made the following observations on these animals, from the 

 insertion of the poison to their death. The muscle, wounded by 

 the incision made for insinuating the poison, was contracted and 

 relaxed alternatively, just as it happens in animals fresh killed : 

 this lasted about two minutes ; after which these animals seemed 

 restless and impatient, endeavouring to scrape the ground with their 

 fore foot, which he had suspended in the air with a cord, to pre- 

 vent their running away. Sometimes also they made a sudden 

 effort, as if to get away, which lasted the space of two minutes ; 

 after which they grew quiet, and amused themselves with nipping 

 the grass, but not in a natural manner. Then their respiration 

 became very difficult ; and, though the weather was very hot, there 

 visibly came out of their nostrils a vapour, like that which issues in 

 winter in the time of expiration. A minute after, he observed 

 that these horses endeavoured to rest the suspended leg on some- 

 thing : and, in another minute, he perceived the fore leg, that rested 

 on the ground, beginning to grow weak, and bend ; which occa- 

 sioned these animals to fall forward, and rise up again alternately, 

 with more or less difficulty. In two minutes more, their hiud legs 

 grew weak, and bent under them, like the fore legs; and in fine, 

 these animals fell down like a dead lump, without beitig able to 

 rise again, though he whipped them severely. Then their sides 

 began to work, and the whole habit of the body was seized with a 

 dreadful horror. He whipped them, and pricked them with a pin j 

 but in vain ; for they gave no sign of feeling. All the muscles of 



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