148 PHEASANTS FOB COVEBTS AND AVIABIES. 



deal of the doubt and uncertainty wliicli prevails respecting^ 

 tlie poisoning of animals by yew may possibly depend upon 

 the relative amount of poison contained in the leaves of the 

 two sexes of this plant. It is well known that children often 

 gather and eat the waxy covering of the berries of the yew 

 without injury, consequently in that part of the plant there 

 can be no amount of this bitter principle known as taxine. 

 The whole matter requires a little more careful investigation,, 

 and offers a very interesting subject of experiment to any 

 person with the opportunity at his disposal. 



Another frequently unsuspected cause of death in pheasants 

 is the habit they acquire of picking up and swallowing shot 

 when in coverts that are much shot over. Mr. J. Hindle 

 Calvert, F.C.S., made the following communication to the 

 Field in 1876, and his inferences have been since amply 

 confirmed by myself and others who have made post-mortem 

 examinations in similar cases. Mr. Calvert wrote: — "The 

 following cases of lead poisoning in pheasants may be of 

 interest to those who have large pheasant preserves. A 

 gamekeeper brought me for inspection a hen pheasant which 

 was partially paralysed in the legs, and low in condition. 

 On killing the same and opening the gizzard I found thirteen 

 leaden pellets of various sizes ; the grinding action of the 

 gizzard had disseminated the lead with the food, and the 

 bird was surely but safely undergoing the slow process of 

 lead-poisoning. This was very evident on applying the 

 usual chemical tests, as I readily detected lead dissolved in 

 the food, and also traces in the blood taken from the region 

 of the heart. Two days after this the gamekeeper brought 

 another live bird. This one had been in a sickly condition 

 for two or three weeks, and was quite emaciated. The legs 

 were paralysed, and the feet drawn in a similar manner to 

 the drop-hand, when lead has been the cause of poisoning in 

 the human subject. On opening the gizzard I found four 

 pellets, so that there is little doubt that this bird would soon 

 have died from the effects of lead-poisoning. 



