204 THE OtTtrawa NaTurRALIsT. [February 
to calves, has never, in my experience, been known to be so to 
animals that were a year or more old, though it is quite serious 
enough. Extremely violent purgation sets in some hours after 
the fungus has been eaten (the exact length of time has not, un- 
fortunately, been ascertained), and sometimes with very little 
abatement for two or more days. The animals meanwhile appear 
1o suffer considerable pain, and in the case of milk cows the milk 
greatly decreases in quantity. This, however, is probably due 
more to the violent purging than to the direct action of the poison, 
especially as no ill effects have been noted to human beings from 
drinking the milk. 
With regard to calves, two or three cases of death, probably 
caused through their eating this fungus, have come to my notice, 
though unfortunately no thoroughly scientific investigation was 
made in any case, barring the fact that A. muscaria had undoubt- 
edly been eaten some hours previous to one of the animals 
being taken ill; and, as several other calves were partly affected at 
the same time, there appears to be no reason to doubt that the 
Fly Agaric was the cause of death. 
The ill effects related above as having taken place through 
the consumption of A. muscaria, have been known to occur, 
though in a much smaller degree, through eating other fungi, 
notably a species of Boletus which occurs in great abundance in 
open woods and on Ground Cedar patches where the ground is 
moist. Amantta phallordes is also occasionally eaten, but it is 
usually rare here and, apart from this, does not seem so attractive 
to cattle. 
No remedies have been found effectual against the deadly 
effects of A. muscaria; but, as cattle generally eat all manner of 
unusual food when not properly salted, it might be worth while to 
try whether giving them all the salt they want—which they should 
of course have at all times—would prevent them, at least to some 
extent, from searching so eagerly for fungi. 
In conclusion | wish to state that, though this note is written 
from personal experience, it makes no pretence of being more 
than of a very fragmentary nature, and that it relates only to 
Manitoba. 
