A FEW WORDS ON EELS.

Otago Witness, Issue 1901, 17 July 1890, Page 29

A FEW WORDS ON EELS.

By Bbattan.

Eels can be oaught with bait during any month of the year that the letter R occurs in, but in the winter they are in a torpid or dormant state, and do not take food of any kind In the month of May they start to burrow in the mud below the banks or any loose deposit of gravel or silt that is convenient for burying themselves. A favourite resort is behind logs or snags. Last winter, when the Mataura was very low during the frost, I secured one by tramping the silt in an old bed of the river. After opening it I found the float to be quite collapsed. I then scooped up a dishful of tba surrounding silt, and after carefully washing it found two small eels. Now, from this circumstance I infer that the eels bury themselves for a twofold reason —1, bo as to deposit their young ; 2, to save them selves _ from being swept away by the floods in winter, whou they are in a helpleas condition, I would not like to assert that eels

Ad inquest was held to-day on the body of Alice Maud Bennett, who died on Tuesday from, it is alleged, medicine supplied to her in mistake, Drs Collins, Kemp, and Pollen were examined. The latter saw Mrs Bennett immediately after death, and said from the symptoms he observed he was satisfied it was a case of strychnine poisoning. Dr Pollen was at Fitzgerald's chemist's shop when the prescription was being made up, and Fitzgerald drew bis attention to the largeness of the dose, but witness replied that it was all right, as the patient had contracted a morphia habit. Later on in the evening witness observed Fitzgerald tasting something, and from the conversation which followed he gathered there was a suspicion that a mistake had been made in mixing up what had been sent to Mrs Bennett. Witness gathered froai what Fitzgerald said that there was a probability that strychnine had been sent instead of morphia. After procuring a bottle of the right solution witness obtained a cab and went off at once to Mrs Bennett's house, and on arrival there he was told that she was dead. Witness was informed Mrs Bennett had taken two spoonfuls from the bottle. W. Skey, Government analyist, said the small bottle marked " half-teaspoonf ul when in pain — ; Mrs Bennett," handed him by the police contained hydro-chloride of strychnine dissolved in weak alcohol and water. Measuring with an ordinary teaspoonful he found the solution contained one grain of stryohnine salt. - The second bottle from which Mrs Bennett's dose was^dispensed by Mr Fitzgerald, labelled " Liquor morph.," contained a few drops of a strong solution of hydro-chloride of strychnia. The large bottles (described as Mr Fitzgerald's stock bottles) labelled " Morphia hydro-ohlor. B.P. Poison," and "Liq. Stryoh. hydro-chlor. B.P. Poison," were correctly* labelled. He considered that a teaspoonful of any of these solutions of strychnine would be a fatal dose for a healthy adult. From the evidence of Mr Fitzgerald and his assistant (Mr Inglis) there was no doubt that the morphia dispensing bottle had been filled from the liquid strychnine stock bottle, and hence the mistake in making the prescription. The mistake was only discovered by Mr Inglis when about to replenish the dispensing bottle, He then found that the "Liq. morph." stook bottle was intact. Mr Fitzgerald, who courted the fullest inquiry, attributed the mistake in filling the bottle to a former assistant engaged by him. July 15.

The iuquest on Mrs Bennett was resumed today, when a young man named Cumberworthi formerly assistant to Mr Fitzgerald, ohemist, was examined. He said that he had no recollection of filling a morphia bottle. He had filled a number of jars, but could not recollect anything about them. Tbe jury returned a verdict of "Accidental death," and acquitted everyone of blame.