Ervum  Ervilia,  the  Bitter  Fetch.     { Fib^ifso"" 
blade  is  said  to  be  poisonous  to  pigs,  and  that  the  farina  of  E.  ervilia  is 
much  advertised  as  a  food ;  but  Revalenta  is  now  supposed  to  be  the 
farina  of  Ervum  lens. 
Having  now  traced  the  history  of  the  Rovi  seed  of  the  Archipelago 
op  to  the  Orobus  of  the  ancient  Greeks,  let  me  return  to  its  poisonous 
properties.  The  ancients  and  those  accustomed  to  use  it  knew  that 
these  could  be  eliminated  or  destroyed,  by  soaking  in  water,  as  is  the 
case  with  other  vegetable  products  which  are  poisonous  in  their  natural 
condition,  but  which  are  made  wholesome  by  water,  by  heat,  or  by 
both  combined.  This  property  may  reside  in  the  testa,  which  is  the 
most  bitter  part,  so  that  when  decorticated,  the  seeds  would  be  whole- 
some, but  I  am  not  aware  if  this  be  the  case  or  not. 
It  has  been  stated  that  sheep  may  feed  on  the  Rovi  seed.  On  the 
other  hand,  pigs,  notwithstanding  they  are  such  gross  feeders,  have 
delicate  stomachs;  it  is  said  they  cannot  eat  even  haricot  beens  with 
impunity.  They  are  probably  modified  by  the  artificial  life  they  lead. 
Darwin  ^  says  that  white  sheep  and  pigs  are  injured  by  certain  plants, 
whilst  dark  colored  individuals  escape.  In  Florida,  the  squatter  selects 
the  black  members  of  a  litter,  as  they  only  have  a  good  chance  of  liv- 
ing— as  the  pigs  eat  the  paint  root  (Lachnanthes)^  which  colors  their 
bones  pink,  and  causes  the  hoofs  of  all  but  the  black  varieties  to  drop  off. 
At  the  trial  it  was  stated  that  one  of  the  witnesses  offered  the  meal 
to  some  pigs  who  declined  to  partake  of  it  j  he  kept  them  without  food 
all  day,  and  offered  it  again,  but  they  still  declined.  Whether  these 
pigs  were  black  or  not  was  not  stated,  but  it  would  appear  that  their 
original  aptitude  for  discernment  in  the  selection  of  proper  food  had 
not  been  destroyed  by  their  artificial  mode  of  living — whatever  their 
original  physical  capacity  might  have  been.  Light  colored  pigs  certainly 
have  a  much  more  objectionable  appearance  than  black  ;  their  skin  is 
too  much  the  color  of  the  noble  biped  to  look  correct.  One  witness 
stated  that  she  had  given  the  meal  to  her  pigs  without  harm,  but  that 
she  had  only  given  a  small  proportion  with  other  food  and  had  first  well 
steeped  it  in  accordance  with  the  ancient  custom. 
I  fear  this  subject  has  been  treated  too  much  at  length,  but  it  is  cer- 
tainly one  of  importance  to  the  porcine  world,  and  if  an  occasional 
cargo  of  Rovi  seed  is  imported  we  do  not  know  where  it  may  find  its 
way. — Phar.  Jour,  and  Trans, ^  Dec.  20,  1879. 
^Darwin's  "  Origin  of  Species,"  1869,  p.  13. 
