101 Diseases of Pheasants. 



been made. It would be very desirable that some observer 

 who has the opportunity should ascertain by actual experi- 

 ments 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 accomphshed hj 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 viscid 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. Cases, however, in which the seeds also 

 were swallowed by the children and death resulted are recorded 

 in the Lancet. The whole matter requires more careful investi- 

 gation, and oifers a very interesting subject of experiment 

 to any person with the opportunity at his disposal. 



The leaves of the yew were used at one time in the form 

 of an infusion known as " yew-tea," as an emmenagogue, in 

 many country places ; but when the decoction took a stronger 

 form the symptoms produced were giddiness, irregular action 

 of the heart, convulsions, and insensibility, preceded by 

 symptoms of gastric irritation, such as vomiting and diarrhoea, 

 showing that the yew poison is one of those known as a nar- 

 cotico-acrid poison {Medicinal Plants, Bentley and Trimen). 



It is thought by some that a possible cause of 

 death is the swallowing of shot picked up in covert. 

 Mr. J. Hindle Calvert, F.C.S., made the following com- 

 munication to the Field of February 19, 1876: "The 

 following cases of lead-poisoning in pheasants may be of 

 interest to those who have large pheasant preserves. A 



