12 BOTANY FOR YOUNG PEOPLE. 



L. But may there not be other methods of 

 judging plants ? In reading a book lately, I was 

 very much interested in the account of a starv- 

 ing traveller, who at his greatest need found 

 some plants, the roots of which he dug up, but 

 was afraid to eat until he had given a part to 

 some animals that were near him ; after they 

 had eaten he had no more scruples, and freely 

 satisfied his hunger. Would not such a plan 

 be better than printed rules, and much easier 

 besides ? 



E. A more unsafe method of proceeding 

 can hardly be imagined. Our common barn- 

 yard fowls eat without danger the seeds of 

 many plants that would be fatal to man. The 

 nature of the inferior animals differs much from 

 men, for hogs and horses will fatten by eating 

 arsenic. Rely upon it, there is no regal or rather 

 lazy-folks-road to knowledge, and expedients, 

 similar to the one you have mentioned, show a 

 lack of information instead of its possession. 



L. As he did not know the name of the 

 plant, I cannot think of any other way of finding 

 out whether it was safe to eat or not. 



E. There are, however, many other modes, 

 in instance of which I may mention a story that 



