IV POISONING VERMIN 47 



be cut in the head, without however touching the animal 

 with the hand ; into this hole three or four grains of the 

 poison called strychnia should be dropped. So powerful is 

 this poison, that a fox having eaten the above quantity seldom 

 goes thirty yards before he dies. Strychnia is the concentrated 

 part of nux vomica. Though frequently much adulterated, it 

 can generally be obtained of sufficient strength from any 

 respectable druggist. The strychnia is, I believe, mixed with 

 a little alkali, to prevent its power being destroyed by exposure 

 to the air. In poisoning crows with it, a very small quantity 

 is sufficient, and it should be put into a slit in the skin or the 

 eye of a dead animal. Before a carrion crow has taken three 

 or four pecks at the poisoned carrion he falls backwards per- 

 fectly dead. Weasels, stoats, and all vermin are destroyed by 

 it with equal ease. The drug having no smell, these animals 

 are not shy of eating a dead rabbit or bird on which it has 

 been placed. Foxes and large vermin always commence at 

 the head of their prey, while for smaller vermin and birds a 

 hole should be cut in the skin to receive the poison, as they 

 generally begin their operations whenever they see an opening 

 where the flesh is exposed to view. 



It is needless to give a warning against using this 

 powerful drug rashly, as no man in his senses would place 

 it anywhere but in the most secure situations. It is worth 

 remembering that foxes, carrion crows, and many other de- 

 structive animals will eat a dead rat, whereas no dog will 

 do so. By poisoning the dead bodies of this animal, there- 

 fore, no risk is run of destroying your dogs. An equally 

 good way of applying strychnia is in the body of a wild 

 duck or a wood-pigeon. Many a fox, whose worldly experi- 

 ence nearly ensures him safety from trap or gin, will fall 

 a victim to this poison ; for so small a quantity is necessary, 

 and so scentless is it, that a sufficient dose is swallowed before 

 the animal discovers its presence in anything which he is eating. 

 From the extreme rapidity with which it acts, destroying life, 

 almost instantaneously, it is perhaps as merciful a way of 

 putting an end to noxious and troublesome animals as can be 

 devised, and no method can be more certain. I have always 

 been of opinion that nine keepers out of ten who carry guns are 

 of but little use in destroying vermin. The grand desideratum 



