Show THE STING OF THE NETTLE some at the poisonous vegetable monter of other lavils the leaf and stem of a nettle are literally clothed with erect hollow hairs if one of these hairs is viewed under a micro it will le seen that its free end after tapering to a very fine degree of finishes as a little knob while in the other direction after gradually becoming more robust it suddenly expands into a large bulb corresponding with the poison gland of the adder the point of the hair says good words is very brittle and contact with our skin causes the end to snap off leaving a hollow needle point which readily pierces our cuticle and pressing upon the bulb at the other end the poison is forced though the central channel and in flames our blood the tender handed who stroke the nettle are stung for their pains because their gentleness has only served to break the brittle points and render them fit for piercing but the rough handed break the hairs at theia thickest parts where they are too stout to prick our common nettles though they are capable of inflicting considerable annoyance upon many persons are too insignificant nevertheless to be included among vegetable monsters and we have only referred to them for the sake of making clear the enormities of some big cousins giants of the nettle family these are first the stir and cren ulata of the east indies species whose attack upon ones hand is sufficient to cause the arm to swell with a most frightful pain which lasts for weeks ant even these are milk and water nettles by comparison with the grows in timor where it bears the significant ant title of or devils leaf the effects of its sting last for a year and have often produced death |