respecting the weight of different animals. Enquiries were therefore addressed to one of the leading experts on this subject, Mr. Carl Hagenbeck, of Hamburg, by whose courtesy the following data were contributed. The average weight of adult individuals of the subjoined species and varieties of animals is as follows:—
| Lions (male) (Female Lions are somewhat less in weight.) |
150–180 | kilo | (330 to 396 lb.) |
| Tigers, Indian and Siberian | 100–150 | kilo„ | (220 to 380 lb.) |
| Bears, Asiatic, e.g. Thibet Bears | 80–120 | kilo„ | (166 to 264 lb.) |
| Bears, Russian and Caucasian | 100–170 | kilo„ | (220 to 374 lb.) |
| Bears, American (Grizzly) | 150–225 | kilo„ | (330 to 495 lb.) |
| Wolves, Russian and American | 30–55 | kilo„ | (66 to 121 lb.) |
| Foxes, European | 5–8 | kilo„ | (11 to 17 lb.) |
According to these data the certain lethal doses for the internal application of strychnia nitrate are, in round figures, as follows: —
| For Lions | 0·7 | grm. (10½ gr.) |
| For Tigers | 0·6 | grm.„ (10 gr.) |
| For Bears (Asiatic) | 0·5 | grm.„ (7½ gr.) |
| For Bears (Russian and Caucasian) | 0·7 | grm.„ (10½ gr.) |
| For Bears (American) | 0·9 | grm.„ (14 gr.) |
| For Wolves | 0·25 | grm.„ (4 gr.) |
| For Foxes | 0·035 | grm.„ (⅓ gr.) |
The lethal doses suitable for birds of prey may be calculated from a table which I. Schneider[1] has recently compiled for a few domesticated birds. According to this table the internal lethal doses per kilo (2i lb.) are as follows:—
| For Geese | 2·3–3·0 mgr. (1⁄25 to 1⁄20 gr.) of strychniæ nitras. |
| For Ducks | 3·0–4·5 mgr. (1⁄20 to 1⁄15 gr.) |
| For Fowls (which exhibit a remark- able capacity for resisting the ac- tion of the poison) |
30–140 mgr. (1⁄2 to 21⁄6 gr.) |
| For Pigeons | 8·5–11·0 mgr. (1⁄8 to 1⁄6 gr.) |
The corresponding experiments showed that it was immaterial both with regard to the intensity of the action and the time required for the fatal issue whether the preparation was given as an aqueous solution, or whether the birds were fed with strychnia wheat.
In the general interest it may be mentioned that, as pointed out by
- ↑ 'Monatsschr. f. prakt. Thierheilk.,' by Fröhner and Kitt., vol. xi. No. 6, p. 245.
