186 
DO ANIMALS EAT THE RANUNCULACEA5 
that some vegetable irritant had produced the morbid ap¬ 
pearance. 
A request was made that information should be furnished 
us as to the duration of the illness of each animal, and in 
due time we received the following statement from the pro¬ 
prietor of the land on which the disease is believed to have 
originated: 
Chertsey; January 2&th, 1860. 
The first bullock that died was bought in London, on Monday, 
18th July, 1858, was put into the field the same night, and found dead 
on Wednesday by 9 o’clock. The second death was that of a heifer, 
bought in the neighbourhood the following week. She died after 
being in the field only four days. On the following week several sheep 
died. 
The next was a pony, about eight years old. When placed in the 
field he was well, and in good condition, but was taken ill after being 
there about a fortnight, and died. A colt, two years old, died the next 
week, with the same symptoms. 
In the following year, 1859, no stock were turned into the field until 
the 18th of September, when an Irish heifer, bought in London, was 
put into it on the Tuesday night, and died the following Tuesday, and 
two sheep also. 
-The field remained then until the middle of October, when fifteen 
store beasts, about a year and a half old, were put into it, the grass 
being very high, and in a week’s time five of them were dead. Next a mare 
was put in. She lived and improved considerably for three months, 
but when brought into a straw-yard died in twelve hours. A young 
pony was put into the yard at the same time, and she continued well 
for two days after the mare died, when she was taken ill, and died in 
twenty-four hours. This pony had never been near the field. 
Edward Dearle. 
After the receipt of this communication it was thought 
desirable to ascertain if a drain from any factory, slaughter¬ 
house, or yard belonging to any building conveyed anything 
of a deleterious nature, either continually or at intervals, 
into the brook which flowed through the meadow r . We 
therefore again wrote to Mr. Wallis, and received the fol¬ 
lowing reply: 
Staines; February 4th, I860. 
I have only to-day obtained the required information to enable me to 
reply to your letter of the 31st ultimo. I find that the only water which 
can be got at from the suspected field comes from Virginia Water, a 
distance of about four miles. There are two water-mills on the stream 
before it reaches the field. It flows towards the town of Chertsey, 
and empties itself into the Thames. No drains from yards or houses 
flow into it. 
