LITTLE FOES OF THE TRAILER
=Poisonous Insects, Reptiles, and Plants=
=Insects=
My first experience with wood-ticks, jiggers, and Jersey mosquitoes was
during the summer we spent at Bayville, near Toms River, N. J. In many
ways Bayville, with its sand, its pines, its beautiful wood roads, and
rare wild flowers, is an interesting and attractive place. The salty air
is fine when the thermometer is self-respecting and keeps the mercury
below 90° in the shade, but the oak underbrush harbors wood-ticks, the
blackberry bushes cover you with jiggers, the woods are full of
deer-flies, and the vicious mosquito, whose name is Legion, is
everywhere where he is not barred out.
=Wood-Ticks=
I had been told of the ticks that infest the forests of the South, had
heard blood-curdling stories of how they sometimes bury themselves,
entire, in the flesh of animals and men and have to be cut out, and my
horror of them was great. In reality I found them unpleasant enough but,
as far as we were concerned, comparatively harmless.
The wood-tick is a small, rather disgusting-looking creature which, in
appearance and size, resembles the common bedbug. It fastens itself upon
you without your knowledge and you do not feel it even when it begins
to suck your blood, but something generally impels you to pass your
hand over the back of your neck, or cheek, where the thing is clinging,
and, feeling the lump, you pull it off and no great harm done. The tick
is supposed always to bury its head in the flesh, and it is said that if
the head is left in when the bug is pulled off an ugly sore will be the
result. We had no experience of that kind, however, nor, in our hurry to
get rid of it, did we stop to remove the bug scientifically by dropping
oil on it, as Kephart advises, but just naturally and simply, also
vigorously, we grasped it between thumb and forefinger and hastily
plucked it off. The effect of the bite was no worse on any of our party
than that of the Jersey mosquito.
Often your friends will see a tick on you and tell you of it even while
they have several, all unknown to themselves, decorating their own
countenance. The name by which science knows this unlovely bug is
_Ixodes leech_.
=Jigger. Redbug. Mite=
The tiny mite called by the natives jigger and redbug is more annoying
than the wood-tick, one reason being that there are so many more of him.
He really does penetrate the skin, and his wanderings under the surface
give one the feeling of an itching rash which covers the body. You won't
see the jigger--he is too small, but if you invade his domain you will
certainly feel him.
=Deer-Fly=
The deer-fly will bite and bite hard enough to hurt. It will drive its
sharp mandibles into your skin with such force as to take out a bit of
the flesh, sometimes causing the blood to flow, but the bite does not
seem particularly poisonous, though you feel it at the time and it
generally raises a lump on the flesh. The deer-fly belongs to the
family of gadflies. It is larger than a house-fly and its wings stand
out at right angles to its body. It will not trouble you much except in
the woods.
=Black-Fly=
The Adirondack and North Woods region is not only the resort of hunters,
campers, and seekers after health and pleasure, but it is also the haunt
of the maddening black-fly. From early spring until the middle of July
or first of August the black-fly holds the territory; then it evacuates
and is seen no more until next season, when it begins a new campaign.
Under the name of buffalo-fly the black-fly is found in the west, where,
on the prairies, it has been known to wage war on horses until death
ensued--death of the horses, not of the fly. It is a small fly about
one-sixth of an inch long, thick-bodied, and black. It is said to have
broad silvery circles on its legs, but no one ever stops to look at
these. Its proboscis is developed to draw blood freely, and it is always
in working order.
The only virtue the black-fly seems to have is its habit of quitting
operations at sundown and leaving to other tormenters the task of
keeping you awake at night. When the black-fly bites you will know it,
and it will leave its mark, when it does leave, which must generally be
by your help, for it holds on with commendable persistence. If you would
learn more of this charming insect, look for _Simulium molestum_ in a
book which treats the subject scientifically.
=No-see-um. Punky. Midge=
There is another pest of the North Woods which the guides call the
no-see-um. It is a very diminutive midge resembling the mosquito in
form and viciousness, but so small as to be almost invisible. Night and
day are the same to the no-see-um; its warfare is continuous and its
bite very annoying, but it disappears with the black-fly in July or
August. By September the mountains and woods are swept clear of all
these troublesome things, except at times and in some places the
ever-hungry mosquito, which will linger on for a last bite in his summer
feast.
The only way to relieve the irritation caused by the bites of these
pests, including the mosquito, is to bathe the affected parts with
camphor, alcohol, or diluted ammonia. When there are but one or two
bites they may be touched with strong ammonia, but it will not do to use
this too freely, as it will burn the skin.
=Gnats=
In the mountains of Pennsylvania the most troublesome insects I found
were the tiny gnats that persist in flying into one's eyes in a very
exasperating fashion. They swarm in a cloud in front of your face as you
walk and make constant dashes at your eyes, although to reach their goal
brings instant death.
It is not much trouble to get one of these gnats out of your eye when it
once gets in. All that is necessary is to take the eyelashes of the
upper eyelid between your thumb and first finger, and draw the upper
eyelid down _over_ the under eyelid. The under eyelashes sweep the upper
lid clear, and the rush of tears that comes to the eye washes the insect
out.
=Bees, Wasps, and Yellow-Jackets=
While honey-bees and wasps can make themselves most disagreeable when
disturbed, you can usually keep away from beehives and bee-trees as
well as from the great gray, papery nests of the wasp; but the hornets
or yellow-jackets have an uncomfortable habit of building in low bushes
and on the ground where you may literally put your foot in a hornets'
nest.
They are hot-tempered little people, these same hornets, as I have
reason to know. Twice I have been punished by them, and both times it
was my head they attacked. Once I found them, or they found me, in a
cherry-tree; and the second time we met was when I stepped in their nest
hidden on the ground. Their sting is like a hot wire pressed into the
flesh. When angered they will chase you and swarm around your head,
stinging whenever they can; but they may be beaten off if some friendly
hand will wield a towel or anything else that comes handy.
If the stings of any of these stinging insects are left in the wounds
they should be taken out with a _clean_ needle or _clean_ knife-blade.
In any case mix some mud into a paste and plaster it on the parts that
have been stung. If you are in camp and have with you a can of
antiphlogistine use that instead of the mud; it is at least more sightly
and is equally efficient in reducing inflammation.
Various things have been devised as protection against insect torments.
One is a veil of net to be worn over the hat. You will find this
described in Chapter IV under the heading of Personal Outfits.
=Dopes=
Then there are dopes to be rubbed over the face, neck, and hands. The
three said to be the best are Nessmuk's Dope, Breck's Dope, and H. P.
Wells's Bug-Juice. There is also a Rexall preparation which, I am told,
is good while it stays on, but will wash off with perspiration.
=Nessmuk's Dope=
In giving the recipe for his dope, Nessmuk says that it produces a glaze
over the skin and that in preventing insect bites he has never known it
to fail. This is the dope:
Pine tar 3 oz.
Castor oil 2 oz.
Oil of pennyroyal 1 oz.
Simmer all together over a slow fire, and bottle.
This is sufficient for four persons for two weeks.
=Breck's Dope=
Pine tar 3 oz.
Olive (or castor oil) 2 oz.
Oil of pennyroyal 1 oz.
Citronella 1 oz.
Creosote 1 oz.
Camphor (pulverized) 1 oz.
Large tube of carbolated vaseline.
Heat the tar and oil, and add the other
ingredients; simmer over slow fire until well
mixed. The tar may be omitted if disliked or for
ladies' use.
Breck tells us that his dope was planned to be a counter-irritant after
being bitten as well as a preventer of bites.
=H. P. Wells's Bug-Juice=
Olive oil 1/2 pt.
Creosote 1 oz.
Pennyroyal 1 oz.
Camphor 1 oz.
Dissolve camphor in alcohol and mix.
Any dope must be well rubbed in on face, neck, ears, and _behind ears_,
hands (on the backs), wrists, and arms; but be very careful not to get
it _in your eyes_.
=Smudges=
Smudges are said to afford relief in camp, but my own experience has
been that the insects can stand them better than I. A smudge is made by
burning things that make little flame and much smoke. Dead leaves, not
too dry, will make a fairly good smudge, but a better way is to burn
damp cedar bark, or branches, on piles of hot coals taken from the
camp-fire and kept alive at different sides of the camp.
The accounts of extreme suffering caused by insect bites come from
unusually sensitive people. All people are not affected alike. Two
persons from one camp will tell entirely different stories of their
experience with insects. The best way to encounter these, as all other
annoyances, is to protect yourself as well as you can and then, without
whimpering, make the best of the situation. All the pests described will
not fall upon you at once, and, taken singly or even doubly, you will
manage to survive the ordeal. If the pleasure of the trail did not
over-balance the pain there would be fewer campers to relate their
troubles.
=Snakes=
The bite of a poisonous snake is by all means to be avoided, and the
point is: you almost always can avoid it. With all the snakes in the
United States, Doctor William T. Hornaday, director of the Zoological
Park of New York City, tells us that out of seventy-five million people
not more than two die each year of snake-bites.
Snakes are not man-hunters; they will not track you down; they much
prefer to keep out of your way. What you have to do is to keep out of
theirs. In a region where poisonous snakes abound it is well to wear
khaki leggins as a protection in case you inadvertently step too near
and anger the creatures, for in such cases they sometimes strike before
you have time to beat a retreat. According to Doctor Hornaday, the
poisonous snakes of North America are:
The rattlesnake,
Water-moccasin,
Copperhead,
Sonora coral-snake,
Harlequin snake.
=Rattlesnakes=
The rattlesnake appears to vary in color and markings in the different
localities where it is found, and there are fourteen or fifteen
varieties, but all carry the rattles, shake them warningly, and coil
before they strike. The rattlesnake does not want to fight and if you
keep at a safe distance it will glide off in another direction, but it
is safest not to venture within striking distance, which is said to be
two-thirds the length of the snake, even if the snake has not coiled,
for it moves quickly and strikes like a flash.
The rattles are at the extreme end of the tail and are composed of horny
joints. The sound of the rattle is much like the humming of a locust
(cicada). Rattlesnakes are often found sunning themselves on large
rocks, and stone-quarries are the chosen winter quarters where whole
colonies assemble. They are also found, during the summer, among
underbrush and in stubble-fields, where they probably go to hunt
field-mice and other small mammals.
[Illustration: BANDED RATTLESNAKE
POISONOUS
WATER-MOCCASIN
POISONOUS
RED-BELLIED WATER-SNAKE
STRIPED LENGTHWISE
HARMLESS
Poisonous and non-poisonous snakes.]
=Banded Rattlesnake=
The mountains of Pennsylvania are a favorite resort of the rattlesnake,
but, though I have passed many summers in Pike County, famous for its
snakes, the only live one I ever saw in that locality was in a box at
Rowland station. The men of our party occasionally killed one and
brought it to camp as a trophy, but one of our weekend guests spent most
of his time hunting the rattler that he might take its skin back to the
city, yet without success.
It is the banded rattlesnake that is usually found in Pennsylvania. The
color is yellowish and it is marked with irregular, wide bands of dark
brown. Sometimes the snake is almost black, and it is thought that it
turns dark with age.
=Diamond Rattlesnake=
The rattlesnake marked in diamond patterns of gold outline on brown is
of the south and is oftenest found in Florida. This is a very large
snake, and closely allied to it is the Texas rattlesnake, which is the
same in markings and color, but paler, as if faded out.
=Massasauga=
The massasauga is the rattlesnake occasionally found in the swamps from
western New York to Nebraska, but it is rare. Its color is light brown
with patches of dark brown its entire length.
=Copperhead=
The copperhead is not a rattler, though its vibrating tail amid dry
leaves will sometimes hum like one. (This is also true of the
blacksnake.) Its bite is very poisonous. It is found amid rocks and in
the woods, and is at home from New England and the Atlantic coast west
to Indiana and south to Texas. This snake is seldom more than three
feet long. Its color is light reddish-brown with bands of rich chestnut
which are narrow on the back and wide at the sides. The underpart is
whitish with dark spots on the abdomen. The head is generally coppery in
color but not always. In Texas the colors of the copperhead are
stronger, the bands and head are decidedly reddish, and the bands have
narrow white borders.
=Harlequin Snake and Coral-Snake=
The harlequin snake and the coral-snake are so similar in color and in
habits, one description for both will answer our purpose. They are
southern snakes, beginning in southern Indiana and extending south. They
are quite poisonous, but of such retiring habits as hardly to be classed
as dangerous. Most of their time is spent hidden under the sand and in
the ground, but when they do come out their colors are so brilliant as
not to be mistaken. On the harlequin snake the colors are bright
coral-red, yellow, and black, which alternate in stripes that encircle
the body. Its head is always banded with a broad yellow stripe. The
coral-snake is much the same in color, and only a close observer would
notice the difference. The coral-snake is also found in Arizona.
=Water-Moccasin, Cottonmouth=
The water-moccasin is ugly, and ugly all the way through. Its deadly
viciousness is not redeemed by any outward beauty. Its average length is
three and a half feet, though it is occasionally longer. Its unlovely
body is thick and the color of greenish mud; the sides are paler and
have wide, blackish bands. There are dark bands from the eyes to the
mouth and above them there are pale streaks. The top of the head is very
dark. The abdomen is yellow with splashes of brown or black. Heavy
shields overhang the eyes and give a sinister expression to their angry
glare. When suddenly approached the moccasin opens wide its white-lined
mouth, and one then understands why it is called cottonmouth.
This snake does not coil before its strikes, but vibrates its tail
slowly and watches its prey with mouth open. The moccasin is decidedly a
southern snake, and girls of the south know that its home is along the
edges of bayous and in the swamps. It is frequently seen with its head
and a small part of its body out of water while the rest is submerged,
but at times it will be found on a water-soaked log or on underbrush and
low boughs of trees that overhang the water. The bite is very poisonous.
=Other Snakes=
There are many other snakes in the United States, but they are not
venomous. Here is one thing to remember: you need never fear a snake
found in this country which has _lengthwise stripes_, that is, stripes
running from head to tail. Daniel C. Beard tells me that he has learned
this from observation, and Raymond L. Ditmars, curator of reptiles in
the New York Zoological Park, agrees with him.
While the lengthwise-striped snakes are harmless, others not striped in
this way are harmless, too. The blacksnake, though he looks an ugly
customer and, when cornered, will sometimes show fight, is not venomous
and his bite is not deep. It is, therefore, wanton cruelty to kill every
snake that crosses your path simply because it happens to be a snake.
Kephart, in his book of "Camping and Woodcraft," says in regard to
identifying the poisonous snake:
"The rattlesnake, copperhead, and cottonmouth are easily distinguished
from all other snakes, as all three of them bear a peculiar mark, or
rather a pair of marks, that no other animal possesses. This mark is
the _pit_, which is a deep cavity on each side of the face between the
nostrils and the eye, sinking into the upper jaw-bone."
If, when one has been bitten and the snake killed, an examination is
made of its head, it can be ascertained immediately whether the snake
was venomous, and in this way unnecessary fright may be avoided.
=Beaded Lizard, Gila Monster=
The only other venomous reptile found in the United States is the beaded
lizard, called Gila monster (pronounced heela). Unless you visit the
desert regions of Arizona and New Mexico, you will not be apt to run
across this most interesting though poisonous reptile.
The Gila monster looks very much like a unique piece of Indian beadwork,
with its fat body and stubby legs covered with bright-colored, bead-like
tubercles, which form almost a Navajo pattern. Its length is about
nineteen inches, and its beads are colored salmon, flesh-pink, white or
yellow, and black. Though it has the appearance of being stuffed with
cotton, it is really formidable and very much alive. Its jaws are
strong; when it bites it holds on like a bulldog, and there is no way to
force it to open its mouth except to pry the powerful jaws apart. While
otherwise slow of movement, it will turn quickly from side to side,
snapping viciously. The inside of the Gila's mouth is black, and when
angry it opens it wide and hisses.
=Treatment for Snake-Bites=
If the unlikely should chance to happen and one of your party is bitten
by a poisonous snake, first aid should be given _immediately_, and if a
physician is within reach he should be summoned as quickly as possible.
Much depends, however, upon what is done first. Any one can administer
the following treatment, and it should be done without flinching, for it
may mean the saving of a life:
(1) As soon as the person is bitten twist a tourniquet very tightly
above the wound, that is, between the wound and the heart, to keep the
poison as far as possible from entering the entire system.
(2) Slash the wound or stab it with a _clean_ knife-blade and force it
to bleed copiously. If there is no break in the skin or membrane of your
mouth or lips and no cavity in any of your teeth, suck the wound to draw
out the poison.
(3) Give a stimulant in small doses at frequent intervals to stimulate
the heart and lungs and strengthen the nerves, but avoid overdoing this,
for the result will be harmful.
(4) If you have with you an antivenomous serum, inject it as directed by
the formula that accompanies it.
Tie a loose bandage around the affected member, a handkerchief, neck
scarf, or even a rope for a tourniquet, to check circulation, as
described in Chapter XII, on Accidents. Every little while loosen the
tourniquet, then tighten it again, for it will not do to stop the
circulation entirely.
All authorities do not advise sucking the wound, but it is generally
done, for with a perfectly sound and healthy mouth there is no danger,
as the poison enters the system only by contact with the blood.
Some writers advocate cauterizing the wound with a hot iron; but,
whatever is done, do quickly, and _do not be afraid_. Fear is contagious
and exceedingly harmful to the patient. Remember that a snake-bite is
seldom fatal, and that a swollen arm or leg does not mean that the case
is hopeless.
=Poisonous Plants=
There are two kinds of poisonous plants: those that are poison to the
touch and those that are harmless unless taken inwardly. Both may be
avoided when you learn to identify them.
=Poison-Ivy=
We are apt to think that every one knows the common poison-ivy, but that
some people are not familiar with it was shown when one beautiful autumn
day a young woman passed along our village street carrying a handful of
the sprays of the vine, gathered probably because of their beautiful
coloring. Noticing that she was a stranger, no doubt from the city, and
realizing the danger she was running of poisoning herself or some one
else, we hurriedly caught up with her and gave first aid to the ignorant
in a few forceful remarks. The result was that, without a word, the
young woman simply opened her hand, dropped her vines on the walk, and
hurried off as if to escape a pestilence. We were left to close the
incident by kicking the stuff into the street that some other equally
uninformed person might not be tempted to pick it up.
If you do not know the poison-ivy, remember this: It is the
_three-leaved ivy_. Its leaves always grow in triplets as shown in
illustration. The leaves are smooth, but not glossy; they have no teeth
but are occasionally notched. Sometimes the plant is bushy, standing a
foot or two high, again it is trailing or climbing. It loves fence
corners and big rocks to clamber over; it will also choose large trees
for support, climbing up to their tops. The flowers are whitish and the
fruit is a pretty, green-gray berry, round and smooth, which grows in
scant clusters.
Poison-ivy is found through the country from Maine to Texas and west to
South Dakota, Utah, and Arkansas.
Some people are immune to ivy poison and, happily, I belong to the
fortunate ones. Many persons are poisoned by it, however, and it may be
that fear makes them more susceptible. On some the painful, burning
eruption is difficult to cure.
=Poison-Oak=
The poison-oak closely resembles the poison-ivy, and is sometimes called
by that name, but its leaves are differently shaped, being oval in
outline with a few coarse, blunt teeth. They are also thicker and
smaller than the ivy leaf. The poison-oak is plentiful in cool uplands
and in ravines, and is general throughout the Pacific coast from Lower
California and Arizona to British America.
=Poison-Sumach, or Swamp-Sumach=
Another member of the same family is the poison-sumach. They are all
three equally poisonous and act by contact. The poison, or swamp, sumach
is a high, branching shrub closely resembling the harmless species which
grow on high, dry ground. The poison variety chooses low, wet places.
The leaves of the poison-sumach are compound, with from seven to
thirteen leaflets growing from one stem, as the leaves of the
walnut-tree grow; the stalks are often of a purplish color. The leaflets
are oval in shape and are pointed at the tip. The surface is smooth and
green on both sides and they have no teeth. The autumn coloring is very
brilliant. The flowers are whitish-green and grow in loose clusters from
a stiff middle stalk at the angles of the leaves. The fruit is a
gray-green berry growing in scant, drooping clusters. This _gray
drooping berry is the sumac poison sign_, for the fruit of the
harmless sumach is crimson and is held erect in close pyramidal
clusters.
Witch-hazel (Pond's Extract) is used as a remedy for all of these
poisons, but it is claimed that a paste made of _cooking-soda_ and water
is better. Alcohol will sometimes be effective, also a strong lye made
of wood-ashes. Salt and water will give relief to some. It seems to
depend upon the person whether the remedy, as well as the poison, will
have effect.
[Illustration: POISON IVY
POISON SUMAC
Plants poison to the touch.]
=Yellow Lady's-Slipper=
Growing in bogs and low woods from Maine to Minnesota and Washington,
southward to Georgia and Missouri, there is a sweet-scented, little
yellow-and-brown flower called the yellow lady's-slipper, the plant of
which is said to have the same effect when handled as poison-ivy. This
flower is an orchid. The stalk, from one to two feet high, bears a
single blossom at the top, and the leaves, shaped and veined like those
of the lily-of-the-valley, grow alternately down the stem. The plant
does not branch. Like the ivy, the yellow lady's-slipper does not poison
every one.
I know of no other wild plants that are poisonous to the touch; the
following will poison only if taken inwardly.
=Deadly Nightshade=
To the nightshade family belong plants that are poisonous and plants
that are not, but the thrilling name, deadly nightshade, carries with it
the certainty of poison.
The plant is an annual and you may often find it growing in a neglected
corner of the garden as well as in waste places. It is a tall plant; the
one I remember in our own garden reached to the top of a five-foot board
fence. Its leaves are rather triangular in shape, they are dark green
and the wavy edges are notched rather than toothed. The flowers are
white and grow in small clusters. The fruit is a berry, round, black,
and smooth, with calyx adhering to it. The berry clusters grow at the
end of drooping stems. This must not be mistaken for the high-bush
blueberry, for to eat the fruit would be most dangerous.
The antidotes for nightshade poison are emetics, cathartics, and
stimulants. The poison should be thrown off the stomach first, then
strong coffee be given as a stimulant.
=Pokeweed, Pigeonberry=
Pokeweed comes under the heading of poisonous plants though its berries
are eaten by birds, and its young shoots are said to be almost equal in
flavor, and quite as wholesome, as asparagus. It seems to be the large
perennial root that holds the poison, though some authorities claim that
the poison permeates the entire plant to a certain extent. The root is
sometimes mistaken for that of edible plants and the young leaves for
those of the marsh-marigold, which are edible when cooked. It is a tall
plant with a stout stem and emits a strong odor. You will find it
growing by the wayside and in rocky places. The leaves are oblong and
pointed at the tips and base. They have no teeth. The small white
flowers are in clusters. The fruit is a small, flat, dark-purple berry,
growing in long, upstanding clusters on a central stalk. The individual
stem of the berry is very short. The name inkberry was given to the
plant because of the strong stain of the berry juice which was sometimes
used for ink. Pokeweed is at home in various states, Maine to Minnesota,
Arkansas, and Florida.
=Poison-Hemlock=
The poison-hemlock is well known historically, being in use at the time
of Socrates, and believed to have been administered to him by the
Greeks. It is quite as poisonous now as in Socrates's day, and
accidental poisoning has come from people eating the seeds, mistaking
them for anise-seed, eating the leaves for parsley and the roots for
parsnips. The plant grows from two to seven feet high; its stem is
smooth and spotted or streaked with purplish-red. It has large,
parsley-like leaves and pretty clusters of small, white flowers which
grow, stiff-stemmed, from a common centre and blossom in July and
August. When the fresh leaves are bruised they give out a distinctly
mouse-like odor and they are very nauseating to the taste.
Poison-hemlock is common on waysides and waste places in New York, West
Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Ohio. It is also found in New
England and Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Louisiana, and California.
The treatment recommended by professionals is emetics, warmth of hands
and feet, artificial respiration, and the subcutaneous injection of
atropine, administered by a physician.
=Water-Hemlock=
Water-hemlock is similar in appearance and in effect. It is found in wet
places and on the borders of swamps. The remedies are the same as for
poison-hemlock.
[Illustration: DEADLY NIGHTSHADE
POKEWEED
Plants poison to the taste.]
=Jimson-Weed=
The jimson-weed is very common in Kentucky. I have not seen so much of
it in the east and north, but it appears to grow pretty nearly over the
whole United States. It is from one to five feet in height, and an
ill-smelling weed, though first cousin to the beautiful, cultivated
datura, which is a highly prized garden plant. The stem is smooth,
green, stout, and branching. The flower is large, sometimes four inches
long, and trumpet-shaped. There are several varieties of this weed; on
some the flower is white, on others the five, flaring, sharp-pointed
lobes are stained with lavender and magenta. The calyx is long,
close-fitting, and light green. The leaves are rather large; they are
angularly oval in shape and are coarsely notched. The fruit is a
prickly, egg-shaped capsule which contains the seeds. It is these seeds
which are sometimes eaten with serious results, and children have been
poisoned by putting the flowers in their mouths.
Emetics should immediately be administered to throw the poison off the
stomach, then hot, strong coffee should be given. Sometimes artificial
respiration must be resorted to. In all cases of poisoning a physician
should be called if possible.
The habit of chewing leaves and stems without knowing what they are
should be suppressed when on the trail. It is something like going
through a drug store and sampling the jars of drugs as you pass, and the
danger of poisoning is almost as great.
=Toadstools=
Unless you are an expert in distinguishing non-poisonous mushrooms from
the poison toadstool, _leave them all alone_. Many deaths occur yearly
from eating toadstools which have been mistaken for the edible
mushrooms.