LARKSPUR POISO:^riISrG OP LIVE STOCK. 63 



eat, and became uneasy, stepping about as though uncomfortable. 

 As the animal walks about the corral the gait becomes " stiff " and 

 the hind legs are ordinarily spread somewhat widely apart, as 

 though it were bracing itself against falling. It walks uncertainly, 

 staggering more or less. If the poison is sufficient in quantity, after 

 moving a short distance the animal falls. In falling it ordinarily 

 goes down very suddenly, the legs ^sometimes appearing to crumple 

 up. The forelegs give out first, and the animal goes down, fre- 

 quently with the head, extended and the chin lying upon the' ground ; 

 then goes completely down. In the less acute cases the animal goes 

 down and lies with the head erect. If the case is acute, it will fall 

 over upon its side, lying flat upon the ground, sometimes moving the 

 head up and down. 



If frightened in this position, the animal may kick violently. 

 Usually it is impossible for it to get upon its feet again immediately 

 after falling, and after making two or three more or less violent 

 attempts it gives up absolutely. In a short time it will usually get 

 up and may move about. Soon it commences to step about uneasily, 

 ordinarily backing, the back arches up, the head is held low, it 

 trembles, and, after one or more attempts to save itself from falling, 

 goes down as before. This may be repeated a considerable number 

 of times. The pictures show quite well the attitudes assumed by 

 the animals under these circumstances. 



When the poisoning has a fatal result the animal may -lie for some 

 time with labored breathing before it dies. If it recovers, as the 

 effect of the poison passes off it stands upon its feet longer each time 

 after falling, and eventually walks off, very much as if nothing were 

 the matter. In cases of mild poisoning it sometimes happens that 

 the animal falls, and when it gets upon its feet walks off apparently 

 perfectly well. If under such circumstances it is hurried, it will go 

 down again, with the same symptoms as before. 



On the range commonly the first symptom noted is the falling of 

 the animal; it goes down suddenly and generally is unable to rise 

 immediately. Sometimes, if cattle which are apparently all right 

 are driven hurriedly for a few minutes, individuals will fall. The 

 same thing was noticed in the experimental animals; some that had 

 shown no preceding symptoms would suddenly fall after being run 

 about the corral. 



The symptoms of poisoning from Delphinium Itarbeyi, D. memi- 

 essi, D. robustuTYi^ D. hicolor^ and D. cucullatimh were so nearly iden- 

 tical that ihey could not be distinguished. The time of complete 

 prostration, by which is meant the time during which an animal is 

 unable to continue standing upon its feet, varies in accordance with 

 the acuteness of the attack. In the cases in 1909, which were all of 



