POISON PLANTS.
The instinct for the right foods is generally precise in animals, but not always. In my neighbourhood the other day two fine horses were killed by eating from a bough of yew accidentally thrown over on to the field where they were grazing ; and generally In regard to yew above all there seems to be no warning instinct. Deaths from it are very common. It is, indeed, actually attractive to a number of animals ; and some, in spite of its frequent deadliness, thrive on it. Quite a large number of plants are poisonous, even in England, including that very common weed, the ragwort ; but each of them, so far as I know, is studiously avoided. In other countries, one of the deadliest of all plants to stock is the low-growing poison bush of Western Australia. Indeed, in some districts of that else paradisal region, land may be valuable or no according to the degree of elimination of this pernicious weed.
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