OAK -LEAF POISONING OF DOMESTIC ANIMALS. 29 
On April 29 and up to May 10 when being driven she had a ten- 
dency to wander away from the other animals, and had to be urged 
along. She had a strong tendency to get into the brush and stand 
until driven out. On the whole she acted much like a "loco." 
From April 25, when she first began to show marked symptoms, 
until April 30 she ate almost nothing. From then until May 8 she 
ate a little grass and now and then took a very little oak. When she 
did eat it was in a listless manner. On May 9 she ate better and con- 
tinued to improve daily, eating mainly grass and weeds with a little 
oak now and then. 
On May 6 at 5 p. m. she was observed to pass about a quart of 
brownish liquid feces containing neither blood nor mucus. Though 
she had been watched closely this was the first defecation noted since 
May 1. At the time, May 6, her temperature was 103° F., the pulse 
was imperceptible, and her skin was dry and hard. 
On May 10 her pulse was still too weak to feel, her hemoglobin 
tested 80 per cent. 
From this time on her condition slowly improved. On May 14 
her feces were nearly normal. On May 16 she was still very poor, 
but her general condition and action were much improved, and she 
was thought to be on the road to recovery and the experiment was 
terminated. 
Comparing this animal (No. 793) with No. 794, which fed along 
with it but spent her time hunting grass and weeds, we see a marked 
difference. No. 793 became very sick with typical symptoms, while 
No. 794 showed no symptoms, though she remained poor from lack 
of feed. 
In the shinnery country the statement is often made that as soon 
as the shinnery starts growth in the spring cattle will leave all other 
feed, even refusing hay, and eat the oak. This idea is erroneous. 
The oak is the first thing to start growth in the spring, and comes at 
a time when other feed is practically exhausted. The cattle, too, 
have existed for a long time on dry, hard feed, and are hungry for 
something green. 
Careful observation shows that the cattle will eat grass and weeds 
whenever they can find them, and often spend considerable time hunt- 
ing for them. If held without feed for a few hours they will take the 
first thing handy, which in this region is oak. After taking the edge 
off their appetites, they usually keep a lookout for grass and weeds, 
often refusing the oak. If they have an opportunity to get hay they 
take it. 
The cattle observed showed a very marked preference for oak in 
certain stages of growth. They obviously liked the swelling buds 
and minute leaves and flowers, but did not care for three-quarters 
to fully grown leaves. Usually they would refuse to eat oak at this 
stage. After the leaves become somewhat older they are said to like 
them again. 
