LAMAS AND TICUNAS 277 



any pain. Soon afterwards lie fell on his side, and died in less 

 than five minutes, having his throat squeezed, as if he had been 

 strangled. 



M. le Chevalier de Grossed had an eagle, which he had kept a good 

 while in his court-yard, and intended to make a present of it to 

 M. de Reaumur, to adorn his cabinet, but wanted to know how to 

 put it to death without damaging the feathers. M. de Reaumur sent 

 him the same arrow above-described, which had been fresh dipped 

 in the poison; it was struck into the wing of this large bird, which 

 dropped down dead in an instant. 



Such are the chief experiments, which M. H. made with the poi. 

 son of ticunas and lamas : and the following are the results of his 

 observations. 1. In almost all the animals, which he killed with 

 the poison of ticunas and lamas, he observed, that in general they 

 seemed to feel little or no pain before dying, by the action of this 

 poison. 2. That before they die, these animals are seized with a 

 sudden and almost universal palsy. 3. Though the colour of the 

 blood seemed to be altered in certain animals, yet we ought not to 

 draw any inference from thence; because in many others the blood 

 had undergone no sort of alteration, either in colour or consistence. 

 4. That all the muscles are so vastly contracted in the animals thus 

 poisoned, that there is not a drop of blood to be found in them, 

 whatever way you cut into them. These muscles are clammy to 

 the touch, and seem to approach the condition of flesh beginning 

 to be tainted, which feels clammy. 5. That he did not know a 

 more certain rule for determining that an animal died by the energy 

 of this poison, than this state of the flesh which feels clammy imme- 

 diately after death ; but a person must have handled it more than 

 once, if he would avoid being mistaken. 6. That the whole mass of 

 blood, during the action of the poison, is carried in abundance into 

 the liver and lungs. 7. That neither sugar nor sea-salt ought to be 

 regarded as a specific antidote; because the poison operates so 

 quick, that it does not allow time for these drugs to act, so as to 

 prevent death. He had found nothing but red-hot iron applied in 

 time, that cures with sufficient certainty. 8. That the more the 

 animal is of a lively and sanguine constitution, the more speedily 

 and forcibly the poison acts. Q. The lustier and fatter the animal 

 is, the more poison, and time also, are required for producing tfa 

 expected effects. 



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