VOL. XLI.] PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. 421 



food mixed with the juices of madder-root, as related in the Philos. Trans. 

 N° 442 and 443, having been communicated to the Royal Acad, of Sciences at 

 Paris, M. Du Hamel du Monceau undertook to make a variety of experiments 

 of the same nature, which he did with the same effect, on many animals. 



This however it seems is not a new discovery ; for Mizaldus, in a work pub- 

 lished in J 566, with this title, Memorabilium, utilium ac jucundorum Cen- 

 turiae novem. Cent. 7> has these words : ** Erythrodanum, vulgo Hubia tinc- 

 torum dictum, ossa pecudum rubenti et sandycino colore imbuit, si dies aliquot 

 illud depastae sint oves, etiam intacta radice, quae rutila existit, &c." 



First, M. Du H. took 4 strong pullets, which he shut up in coops; and 

 fed them with a paste made of wheat-meal and powder of madder-root ; and 

 gave them an infusion of the same root to drink. The first days they eat 

 their paste pretty well ; but afterwards disliked it much, and eat always less 

 and less. As to the infusion of the rubia tinctorum, they never would drink 

 it, and he was obliged to give them pure water, which they drank plentifullv ; 

 for this root made them thirsty. At the end of some days they could not 

 relish the mixture, of which they eat but very little, and wasted away visibly. 



On the lOth day, one of them died; and another 2 days after: and both of 

 them had their bones tinged of a rose-colour. To prolong the lives of the 

 other two, he diminished the dose of the madder, and sometimes he gave them 

 the paste without it. The root had already produced its effect ; for notwith- 

 standing the new regimen, they continued to waste; which obliged him to kill 

 the third 5 days after the death of the first 2. The colour of its bones was not 

 different from that of the 2, which died 5 days before. As to the 4th pullet, 

 which seemed not quite so sick, he set it at liberty. It recovered by degrees, 

 by choosing food to its taste in the yard. But at the same time the tincture its 

 bones had received, went off gradually, and almost entirely disappeared in a 

 month's time. 



He next chose some strong young pigeons. Two of these had no other 

 food given them but wheat-meal, others were fed with the meal and madder 

 mixed and made into pellets, of a convenient size, given them 3 times a day 

 till their crops were full. But they could never be made to drink the infusion 

 of the madder. The two young pigeons fed with the meal alone were lively 

 and fat, digested their food, and throve as well as if fed by the old ones. But 

 on the contrary, those that were fed with the paste of meal and madder, took 

 this food only by force, digested ill, were dull and very thirsty. And though 

 care was taken to keep their crops constantly full, as well as the others, yet 

 they grew leaner daily. They were always shivering, and endeavouring to get 

 into the sun, or near the fire, to warm themselves : and the strongest of them 



