LARKSPUR POISONING OF LIVE STOCK. 63 
eat, and became uneasy, stepping about as though uncomfortable. 
As the animal walks about the corral the gait becomes " stiff " and 
the hind legs are ordinarily spread somewhat widely apart, as 
though it were bracing itself against falling. It walks uncertainly, 
staggering more or less. If the poison is sufficient in quantity, after 
moving a short distance the animal falls. In falling it ordinarily 
goes down very suddenly, the legs sometimes appearing to crumple 
up. The forelegs give out first, and the animal goes down, fre- 
quently with the head extended and the chin lying upon the ground ; 
then goes completely down. In the less acute cases the animal goes 
down and lies with the head erect. If the case is acute, it will fall 
over upon its side, lying flat upon the ground, sometimes moving the 
head up and down. 
If frightened in this position, the animal may kick violently. 
Usually it is impossible for it to get upon its feet again immediately 
after falling, and after making two or three more or less violent 
attempts it gives up absolutely. In a short time it will usually get 
up and may move about. Soon it commences to step about uneasily, 
ordinarily backing, the back arches up, the head is held low,- it 
trembles, and, after one or more attempts to save itself from falling, 
goes down as before. This may be repeated a considerable number 
of times. The pictures show quite well the attitudes assumed by 
the animals under these circumstances. 
When the poisoning has a fatal result the animal may lie for some 
time with labored breathing before it dies. If it recovers, as the 
effect of the poison passes off it stands upon its feet longer each time 
after falling, and eventually walks off, very much as if nothing were 
the matter. In cases of mild poisoning it sometimes happens that 
the animal falls, and when it gets upon its feet walks off apparently 
perfectly well. If under such circumstances it is hurried, it will go 
down again, with the same symptoms as before. 
On the range commonly the first symptom noted is the falling of 
the animal; it goes down suddenly and generally is unable to rise 
immediately. Sometimes, if cattle which are apparently all right 
are driven hurriedly for a few minutes, individuals will fall. The 
same thing was noticed in the experimental animals; some that had 
shown no preceding symptoms would suddenly fall after being run 
about the corral. 
The symptoms of poisoning from Delphinium barbeyi, D. menzi- 
ess% D. robustum, D. hicolor, and D. cucullatwm were so nearly iden- 
tical that they could not be distinguished. The time of complete 
prostration, by which is meant the time during which an animal is 
unable to continue standing upon its feet, varies in accordance with 
the acuteness of the attack. In the cases in 1909, which were all of 
