HORSETAIL FAMILY. 27 



If treatment is begun soon enough, some of the ani- 

 mals may be saved. It is important to remove all traces 

 of the poison as quickly as possible from the 

 alimentary canal and to prevent access to 

 mouldy or spoiled feed of any kind. It is necessary also 

 to discontinue immediately the feed-stuffs in use and pro- 

 vide an entire change of feed, to avoid a further ingestion 

 of poisonous substance. A purge and nerve stimulants as 

 well as atropin for the circulation are recommended. 

 Haslam prescribes injections of arecolin or eserin and 

 pilocarpin followed by an antiferment and possibly an 

 aloes bolus. Where paralysis of the throat has begun 

 medicine cannot be given by mouth except by means of 

 the stomach tube, as it is almost sure to enter the air pas- 

 sages and cause suffocation. 



HORSETAIL FAMILY Equisetaceae. 



THE HORSETAILS Equisetum spp. 



In ancient times the Horsetail family was one of the 

 most important. The fossil record shows that its mem- 

 bers formed a striking part of the coal forest swamps, 

 their jointed stems, two feet or more in thickness, rising 

 to heights of fifty to one hundred feet. To-day there are 

 only a few isolated species of a single genus, composed 

 of small plants ranging fronva few inches to a few feet 

 in height. Unable to keep pace with changing conditions 

 the race has been falling behind for millions of years. 



Animals of the coal forests may have found the Horse- 

 tails edible, but in their present form some at least are 

 quite injurious. With regard to the nature 

 Examples and o f ^ e po ison, there is some diversity of 

 f P inion > although the old idea of the mec- 

 hanical action of silica, a common and some- 

 times prominent constituent of the Horsetails, has been 



