566 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. VIII. 



Experiment III.— Some fresh pulp mixed with a little water was given to a 

 pigeon without any result. 



Experiment IY.— The pulp given to a pigeon as in Experiment III 

 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 that the 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 " Eha " 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. It is evidently a misprint or slip of the pen." Dunstan 

 writes : — " The fruit contains the seeds imbedded in a white gelutinous 

 pulp .... The ripe fruit has a deep orange colour"' — and again in another 

 place — " The pulp when fresh has a very bitter taste and is white, but on 

 drying becomes dark brown-" 



27th March, 1894. J. G. PEEBBLE. 



(The above appeared in the Tini$s of India on 2nd April, 1894.) 



