POISONOUS PLANTS OF BOMBAY. 261 



probably glucosides, both possessing the properties of powerful cardiac 

 poisons. In the bark, he says, there are crystals of calcium oxalate. 

 (Year Book of Pharmacy, p. 154, 1881). Gribble classes the plant 

 among irritants side by side with Plumbago rosea and P. zeylanica. 

 T. N. Mukarji, Jaikisson Indraji, Sakharam Arjun, Lyon, and Ohevers 

 note that the root is used to procure abortion. Lyon includes the 

 plant among Cardiac Poisons. The post-mortem appearances which he 

 quotes from Ohevers bear out Lauder Brunton's remark, that in higher 

 animals, such as men and quadrupeds, the heart may stop in diastole. 

 For further information I would refer the reader to the observations of 

 Chevers in his Medical Jurisprudence. 



"Veterinary -Major G. K c Rayment, A.V.D., wrote to me in March, 

 1896, from Rawalpindi that he was concerned as a witness in a case of 

 poisoning camels by oleander. He subsequently at my request fur- 

 nished me with a printed memo, of the symptoms. This memo., I am 

 sorry to say, I am unable to find just now. Camels do not object to 

 eating the leaves, but the leaves are invariably fatal to the poor beasts. 

 Sir George Birdwood and Surgeon- General Balfour have noted this fact 

 before, in their respective works, namely, " The Bombay Products " and 

 the " Cyclopsedia of India," 3 volumes. 



EXPLANATION OF PLATE S. 



Fig. 1. — Represents a following sprig of the plant. 



Fig. 2. —Shows the insertion of the petiole. 



Fig. 6. —Shows the shape of the corolla. 



Fig. 4.- — Shows the bursting capsule, separated nearly down to the 

 base into two equal portions, each representing the original carpel ; 

 each half dehisces ventrally only, and resembles a follicle ; comose 

 seeds escaping from the openings. 



Fig. 5 — Shows a comose seed separated from its attachment. 



All the Darts are shown two-tbirds of the natural size. 



{To be continued.) 



