POISONING BY LEAD SHOT. 141 



male and female yew respectively. His experiments definitely 

 proved that taxine exists in a much larger quantity in the 

 leaves of the male than in those of the female yew. If this 

 taxine is the active principle, his experiments tend to prove 

 that only the male yew is poisonous^ but I am not aware 

 whether any further experiments have been since made on the 

 subject. It would be very desirable that some observer who- 

 has the opportunity should ascertain by actual experiments- 

 whether there is any difference in the action of the leaves 

 of the male and those of the female yew when given to- 

 pheasants or other animals. This could be readily accom- 

 plished by mixing the leaves of the two trees with 

 ground meal, and administering it to pheasants in captivity. 

 The information thus obtained would be very valuable,, 

 inasmuch as if it were found that the leaves of the female 

 yew were not poisonous, it would lead to their being safely 

 planted in coverts and places accessible to animals. A great 

 deal of the doubt and uncertainty which prevails respecting- 

 the 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 means 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 



