yew. 439 



hours except purgation, but the animal died at the expiration of another hour. 

 On opening the carcass, the yew-leaves were found in the stomach, mixed 

 with the hay, retaining their form and colour ; a few spots or ecchymoses, 

 about the size of the finger-nail, were observed in the small intestines*. 

 Nevertheless, it has been asserted by Viborg, that the leaves in small pro- 

 portion may be added to forage without danger, and that the quantity may 

 be gradually increased, so that at length they may be eaten almost alone. 

 This statement requires confirmation. 



The leaves are also poisonous to the human subject. Dr. Percivalf 

 relates that the fresh leaves were administered to three children of five, 

 four, and three years of age, near Manchester, for worms. Yawning and 

 listlessness soon succeeded, and the eldest vomited a little and complained 

 of pain, but the others expressed no sign of pain. They all died within a 

 few hours of each other. 



There is considerable discordancy in the statement of authors respecting 

 the fruit or berry as it is called of this tree. According to Dioscorides, the 

 fruit has the singular property of blackening the plumage of birds that feed 

 on it {, and produces abundant alvine evacuations and flux of blood when 

 eaten by man ; and Matthiolus, in his commentary upon that author, 

 mentions that such accidents, accompanied with inflammation of the 

 abdominal viscera, occur to shepherds in mountainous countries who 

 partake of the fruit. On the other hand, Theophrastus, as already 

 observed, states that the fruit is not poisonous. Pena and Lobel§ af- 

 firm, that swine feed on it in some parts of England, and that children 

 eat it with impunity. Gerard || also has the following remarks : — 

 " When I was yong and went to schoole, diuers of my schoole-fellowes 

 and likewise my selfe did eat our fils of the berries of this tree, and 

 haue not only slept under the shadow thereof but among the branches 

 also without any hurt at all, and that not one time but many times." 

 Some writers of the present day tell us that the berries are poisonous, 

 others that a few of them are not injurious, and others that the succulent 

 coat of the fruit is fcetid and noxious. We are enabled to corroborate 

 the statements of Lobel and Gerard to a certain extent, viz., that it is 

 the red succulent covering of the fruit which is not injurious and may 

 be eaten largely without danger, while the nut or seed is poisonous. 

 We have observed children in country churchyards eating greedily, as it 

 appeared, the whole fruit ; but on asking a little boy if he had ever eaten 

 any before, he said, " Oh yes I very often ; but he spat out the seeds 

 because the other boys did, and they told him the seeds were rank poison," 

 We have also seen thrushes and starlings eating the fruit. It is possible, 



• Flore Economique 3 p. 567* 



f Med. Commentaries, vol. vi. p. 33. 



$ A similar effect takes place from the use of hemp-seed, 



§ Stirpium Adversaria. 



Ij Herbal, ed. by Johnson, p. 1371. 



