176 THE ENGLISH SPARROW IN AMERICA. 



paring and exposing poisoned grain, great care should be taken to 

 avoid spilling any of it where it might he found by children, farm ani- 

 mals, or poultry. 



Another possible source of danger in the use of poisons, and one 

 that is much less easy to guard against, arises from the fact that the 

 bodies of the poisoned birds are liable to fall where they may be picked 

 up and eaten by man or beast. However, very little real danger is to 

 be apprehended from this source. _ 



SYNOPSIS OF EXPERIMENTS. 



Following is a brief synopsis of the experiments in poisoning made 

 by the Division : 



EXPERIMENTS WITH STRYCHNINE. 



No. 1 (lbird«). — Fed cm wheat, soaked one and one-half hours in a solution of strych- 

 nine (.65 of a gram to 30 c. c. of cold water) and dried. Bird commenced eating at 

 1.16 p. m. At 1.27 p. in. showed first symptoms. At 3.10 p. m. it had apparently 

 nearly recovered. Next morning it was dead. Stomach and crop contained 9 kernels 

 of wheat. 



No. 2 (1 bird). — Fed on hemp seed soaked twenty-four hours in a solution of strych- 

 nine (.325 of a gram to 30 c. c. of cold water) and dried. Bird commenced eating at 

 11.35 a. m. ; died at 12.20. Crop contained 3 shelled hemp seed ; stomach none. 



No. 3 (3 birds). — Fed on hemp seed soaked twenty-four hours in a solution of strych- 

 nine (.65 of a gram to 30 c. c. of cold water) and dried. Commenced feeding at 12.15 

 (it is impossible to say that all three commenced at that time). Bird No. 1 died at 12.42. 

 Crop contained 3 shelled hemp seeds ; none in stomach. Bird No. 2, at about 1 o'clock, 

 showed first symptoms while eating; at 3.10, however, it had partially recovered. 

 It was dead the next morning. Stomach and crop contained 4-5 kernels. Bird No. 

 3 ate the poisoned hemp seed and non-poisoned wheat until 3.10 p. m., seemingly with- 

 out bad results. It was dead next morning. Three kernels of homp seed were all 

 that could be discovered in the stomach and crop, which contained also 10-12 kernels 

 of non-poisoned wheat. 



No. 4 (2 birds). — Fed on wheat soaked forty-five hours in a solution of strychnine 

 (.325 of a gram to 30 c.c. of cold water) and dried. Commenced eating at 10.20; 

 both dead at 11.05. Each had eaten 3 kernels of wheat. 



No. 5 (1 bird). — Fed same as above. Commenced eating at 12.30, died at 1.14 p. m. 

 Stomach contained wheat partially digested; nothing in crop. 



No. 6 (1 bird). — Fed on oats soaked twenty hours in a solution of strychnine (.65 

 of a gram to 30 c. c. of cold water) and not dried. Bird commenced eating about 11 

 o'clock, but seemed not to relish the food. At 11.20 the bird was unsteady in its 

 movements, but at 3.45 it was in good condition. Next morning had wholly recov- 

 ered; probably did not eat enough of the poisoned grain. 



No. 7 (2 birds). — Fed on non-poisoned hemp seed and wheat, and given water to 

 drink containing .325 of a gram of sulphate strychnine to 30 c. c. of water. Four 

 honrs afterward they were visited and both were found dead and cold. 



No. 8 (5 birds). — Fed on wheat soaked for forty-eight hours in a solution of strych- 

 nine (.16 of a gram to 30 c. c. water). Commenced eating at 11.15 a. m. At 1.45 p. 

 m. two were dead. At 2 p. m. the third was dead. At 3 p. m. the fourth was dead. 

 The last was found dead the next morning. 



No. 9 (2 birds). — Fed on wheat soaked for forty-eight hours in solution of strych- 

 nine (.065 of a gram to 30 c. c. of water). Commenced eating at 10 a. m. First bird 

 died at 10.45. Its stomach aud crop contained 10 kernels of wheat. At 11.10 the 

 second bird died. Its crop contained 4 kernels ; stomach empty. 



