432 
POISONING BY COLCHICUM. 
soil, and expanding just their orifice, together with the anthers 
and stigmas, above the surface of the ground, while the 
tubular part, with the ovary and filaments, remain enveloped 
in membranous sheathing spathes below the soil. Each 
stock produces six or eight of these flowers, and they form, 
in the fall of the year, a beautiful carpet in those meadows 
where they flourish in great abundance. In the spring the 
seed-vessel makes its appearance in the midst of a tuft of 
broad, oblong, shining leaves, and consists of three follicles 
adhering to one another, and each containing a quantity of 
opaque, fawn-coloured, globose seeds, about the size of 
radish-seeds. It is in these seeds that the active medicinal 
principle of the plant is contained in the greatest intensity, 
although it exists also both in the flowers and the root. 
This plant is common in many parts of Great Britain, and 
is particularly abundant in the meadows bordering on the 
Severn, in this county. Properly administered, in human 
surgery at least, it is a most valuable medicine ; in poisonous 
doses I have already described its terrible effects. 
It is certainly a fact that, for the most part, herbivorous 
animals of all kinds are prevented by a kind of instinct from 
eating to any serious extent these poisonous vegetables in a 
0 rowing state . But it is equally certain that this protective 
instinct altogether fails them when such plants are cut off, or 
plucked up and half withered . Shakespeare, it will be re¬ 
membered, has not forgotten to notice (e the grateful odour 
of the new-mown hay/* and we are most of us familiar with the 
peculiar sweetness that seems to be produced by the rapid 
drying up of the juices of green vegetables. This odour, 
or taste, or both, as the case may be, seems altogether to 
disarm the natural discrimination of the grass-eater. The 
landscape-gardener knows well how difficult it is to protect 
the withering leaves of a newly-planted shrub, whilst its 
more verdant fellows are allowed to go untouched; and 
numerous examples of a like nature might be adduced. The 
least acrid ranunculaceae, as instanced in the common butter¬ 
cup, are carefully avoided when growing, even on the barest 
pastures, but taken readily enough in the hay ; and I have 
observed that even the rank and disagreeable hemlocks will 
also be eaten when withered. In the great majority of cases 
of vegetable poisoning that have fallen under my observation, 
I have found that such poisons had been taken in this half- 
dried condition. With this great fact before us, the inference 
how such accidents are to be avoided is too clear to need 
further remark. 
But the subject is not quite so easily disposed of. These 
