Vermifuge, s. Any medicine that destroys or expels worms.
Vermilion, s. The cochineal, a grub of a particular plant; factitious or native cinnabar, sulphur mixed with mercury; any beautiful red colour.
Vermin, s. Any noxious animal.
To destroy vermin.—When dogs are afflicted with lice, the most effectual remedy is to rub the whole animal over with train-oil; allow it to remain on half an hour, and then wash it off with salt of tartar, or potashes and water. Soft soap made into a thick paste, and rubbed over the body, and allowed to remain on an hour before washing the dog, will effectually destroy them.
N.B.—The method of giving any bolus, pill, or other medicine to a dog, is to pull out his tongue, then put it down his throat as far as possible, and when the dog draws in his tongue, the medicine will descend into his stomach.
Sopping the skin with tobacco water has been recommended; but it has only a momentary effect, and it not unfrequently poisons the dog. Innumerable other means I have tried to drive away fleas, but the only tolerably certain one I have discovered, is to make dogs sleep on fresh yellow deal shavings. These shavings may be made so fine as to be as soft as a feather bed; and, if changed every week or fortnight, they make the most cleanly and wholesome one that a dog can rest on; and the turpentine in them is very obnoxious to the fleas. But, where it is absolutely impracticable to employ deal shavings, it will be found useful to rub or dredge the dog’s hide, once or twice a week, with very finely powdered resin: if simply rubbed in, add some bran.—Brown—Blaine.
Vernal, a. Belonging to the spring.
Vernal Birds of Passage.—The earlier or later appearance of our spring birds may be found to arise from accidental vicissitudes of the season in those countries from whence they come; and, viewed in this light, the time of their arrival becomes an interesting phenomena to note down. Generally speaking, they arrive at the following times, on an average of many years:—
| Wryneck | Middle of March. |
| Smallest Willow Wren | March 25. |
| House Swallow | April 15. |
| Martin | April 20. |
| Sand Martin | April 20. |
| Blackcap | April 17. |
| Nightingale | April 10. |
| Cuckoo | April 21. |
| Yellow Willow Wren | April 20. |
| Whitethroat | April 16. |
| Redstart | April 16. |
| Night Plover or Stone Curlew | March 27. |
| Grasshopper Lark | April 15. |
| Swift | May 9. |
| Lesser Red Sparrow | April 30. |
| Corn Crake or Land Rail | April 25. |
| Largest Willow Wren | End of April. |
| Fern Owl | May 20. |
| Flycatcher | May 3. |
Other birds, water wagtails for instance, who only make partial migrations, are more uncertain in their times of appearance.—Foster.