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566 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol, VIII. 
Experiment I1I.—Some fresh pulp mixed with a little water was given to a 
pigeon without any result. 
Experiment IV.—The pulp given to a pigeon as in Experiment IIT 
without any effect. 
Experiment V.—0°3 gramme of the inspissated pulp was administered to a 
frog and produced no effect. As the quantity of alkaloid contained in the 
amount of inspissated pulp administered to the frog was extremely small, and 
considering the fact that in the first pulp which was administered to pigeons 
there would be still less owing to the large quantity of water present, Dr. 
Ondaatje repeated the two last experiments, using larger and weighed quantities 
of the pulp. 
Experiment VI.—2°6 grammes of the inspissated pulp was dissolved in water 
and given to a frog and no effect followed, but on administering twenty 
grains more, convulsions speedily came on, commencing at the lower extre- 
mities, and death resulted in forty minutes. 
Experiment VII.—2°0 grammes of the inspissated pulp mixed with water 
was given to a pigeon, Almost immediately after violent tetanic convulsions 
set in, and the bird died in twelve minutes. 
These experiments conclusively demonstrate the poisonous nature of the 
pulp, and show that its action is mainly, if not entirely, due to the strychnia 
which it contains. Birds can no doubt consume a certain quantity of the fresh 
pulp with no fatal effects, for the proportion of strychnine present in the semi- 
liquid mass is not large as subsequent analysis shows. ‘Obviously, if eaten 
to more than this extent, fatal results will ensue. With regard to the action 
of strychnine on monkeys, it appears that some Species possess immunity, while 
others are susceptible to the poison, From some experiments undertaken 
about twenty years ago and published in the Indian Medical Gazette, it seems 
that the “lungoor” may be said to be proof against strychnia, that the ‘‘ pouch- 
cheek” is susceptible, but not so readily as a human being, and thatthe popular 
saying that a monkey will never eat anything that is poisonous is borne out by 
the “lungoor ” readily eating and relishing the strychnia which produced no ill 
effect upon him, whilst the “pouch-cheek” refused the same and fell a victim 
to the poison, The story related by “ Hha” that two horses were killed by 
eating the leaves is very likely correct. The leaves have been recently analysed 
by my friend, Mr. David Hooper, Quinologist to the Government of Madras, 
who found them to contain brucine ; hence they are poisonous. Horses and 
cattle, possibly through long years of domestication, do not readily distinguish 
between poisonous and non-poisonous plants. Horses are occasionally killed in 
Europe by eating the leaves of the yew tree, which are poisonous, Dr. Kirtikar 
writes: “ Brandis says that the pulp in the fruit is orange-coloured, It is not 
so; it is white. It is difficult to understand how such a careful observer as 
Brandis. says so. Ii is evidently a misprint or slip of the pen.” Dunstan 
writes :—‘‘The fruit contains the seeds imbedded in a white gelutinous 
pulp. . . . Theripe fruit has a deep orange colour”—and again in another 
place—‘The pulp when fresh hasa very bitter taste and is white, but on 
drying becomes dark brown.” 
27th March, 1894. _J.G. PREBBLE, 
(The above appeared in the Times of India on 2nd April, 1894.) 
