THE  TOOT-POTSON  OF  NEW  ZEALAND. 
259 
which  the  animal  is,  at  the  time,  unaccustomed.  Hence  Toot- 
poisoning  frequently  occurs  in  animals  which  have  just  been 
landed  from  a  long  and  fatiguing  sea-voyage,  during  which  they 
have  been  underfed  or  starved,  to  whom  the  young  Toot-shoots 
present  the  most  juicy,  fresh,  pleasant  diet. 
b.  On  the  other  hand,  the  same  kind  of  animals,  habituated 
to  the  use  of  the  Toot-plant,  not  only  do  not  suffer  at  all,  but 
for  them  it  is  regarded  as  quite  equal  in  value  to,  and  as  safe 
as,  clover  as  a  pasture  food.  It  is  an  equal  favorite  with  cattle 
and  sheep,  whether  they  have  been  habituated  or  not. 
c.  The  predisposition  in  man  is  probably  produced  by  analo- 
gous conditions  depressing  the  tone  of  his  nervous  and  digestive 
systems,  or  directly  deranging  them.  Children  are  affected  out 
of  all  proportion  to  adults. 
d.  Adults  who  have  suffered  from  the  poisonous  action  of 
Toot  under  certain  circumstances  have  been  exempt  from  such 
action  under  certain  others, — the  same  parts  of  the  plant  hav- 
ing been  used,  and  apparently  in  the  same  way,  in  both  sets  of 
instances.  Moreover,  the  Toot-berries  enjoy,  both  among  the 
Maoris  and  colonists,  an  enviable  notoriety  on  account  of  the 
agreeable  and  harmless  wine  and  jellies  they  are  capable  of 
producing,  the  former  whereof  especially  has  long  been  greatly 
prized.  The  seeds,  however,  in  these  cases  probably  do  not 
enter  into  the  composition  of  the  said  wine  and  jellies. 
4.  The  current  Remedies  for  Toot-poisoning  among  the  settlers 
are,  in  regard  to — 
a.  Cattle  and  sheep — mainly  bleeding,  by  slashing  the  ears 
and  tail.  Belladonna  has  been  variously  tried,  and  favorably 
reported  on  ;  by  others,  stimulants  are  regarded  as  specifics 
(carbonate  of  ammonia,  brandy,  or  a  mixture  of  gin  and  turpen- 
tine, locally  known  as  "  Drench").  Whatever  be  the  nature  of 
the  remedy,  there  is  no  difference  of  opinion  as  to  the  necessity 
for  the  promptest  treatment,  since,  at  a  certain  stage  of  the 
action  of  the  poison,  all  remedies  appear  equally  inefficacious. 
b.  In  man,  the  nature  of  the  remedy  is  still  more  varied, 
though  emetics  and  stimulants  seem  the  most  rational  of  those 
usually  had  recourse  to. 
5.  The  Toot-  or  Tutu  plaint  is  the  Coriaria  ruscifolia,  L.  (the 
C.  sarmentosa,  Forst.)    The  plant  is  variously  designated  by 
