CHAPTER X 

 ANIMALS AND POISON 



IN the account of Colonel Mahon's successful expe- 

 dition against the latest Mahdi, in 1903, it was noted 

 that on the march back to the Nile a number of the 

 horses died from eating " poisoned grass," on which 

 they browsed at the halting-places. A similar instance 

 of the failure of instinct to detect danger lurking in 

 vegetable growth, as regards which it might naturally 

 be concluded that the animals' senses would, after 

 long experience in the life of a species, have inherited 

 caution, occurred quite recently in Somaliland. A 

 train of Indian camels were brought over for use in 

 the army transport, many of them being exceptionally 

 good and strong animals. There were also many 

 native Somali camels at the base. The Indian and 

 Somali beasts were both allowed to browse freely on 

 the wild shrubs round their quarters. The camels 

 which had been born of native stock took no harm. 

 But the Indian camels ate shrubs which were so 

 poisonous that many of them died. It is not stated 

 that they over ate themselves, which rather stupid 

 creatures like camels will often do when they get 

 the chance, but that they were actually poisoned by 

 the toxic qualities of the food which they selected. 



