30 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



fellow, he is grateful at last to be carried home like a 

 baby. 



At first we hope that it is nothing worse than a bee 

 sting, but presently it gets so bad that we send for 

 the local dog man; he is not a "vet," but a time- 

 honoured institution in the neighbourhocd, and 

 combines dog-doctoring with fishing. 



One glance at the purplish inflammation on our 

 pet's side suffices him. 



"Little dear," he remarks (at the same time 

 tightly holding the dog's nose lest it should bite), 

 " he's been stung by an adder." 



Then follows the advice to administer a big dose of 

 castor-oil and buckthorn, and a few drops of harts- 

 horn in water every few hours ; the inflamed side is 

 to be bathed with warm water ; and our doctor does 

 not doubt but that the dog will get quite well. 



For our further consolation he describes a black 

 retriever of his own, which was bitten in the face, 

 and recovered perfectly, all but a swelling on the 

 injured spot, and was remarkable ever after for killing 

 every viper it saw. 



x\dder-bites are tilings over which doctors always 

 disagree. Scientific magazines have perpetual 

 discussions about them, and their fatality. Some 

 enthusiasts are bold enough to let themselves be 

 bitten, that the venomous nature of the bite may be 

 proved ; others regard recovery as a miraculous 

 escape. The end of the argument leaves each writer 

 of the same opinion still. Reason seems to suggest 

 that in this, as in every case of blood-poisoning, the 

 effect would depend very much upon constitution 

 and temperament. 



If it is difficult to extract any truth about the effect 

 of adder-bites on humanity, still harder is it about 

 animals ; for the accounts are few and usually con- 

 tradict each other, the universally received opinion 

 being that dogs bitten never recover. They may 

 linger for a year, says one story, but will die in 

 convulsions, or pine away, at the end of it. In cases 

 like this it may be taken for granted that no care has 

 been given to the animal. Faith should never be put 

 in the accounts given by farmers or labourers of the 

 effect of adder-bites. Their fear of every snake 

 amounts to superstitious terror. They never wait 

 to decide whether the reptile is a viper, a ring-snake, 

 or a slow-worm, but instantly retreat before it. If a 

 dog is bitten they shoot it immediately, to "spare it 

 further pain." We have been told that a viper's bite 

 will make a sheep-dog swell up and die in an hour. 



Accounts more cheerful and less exaggerated tend, 

 however, to show that fairly careful nursing will soon 

 do away with the evil consequences of the bite ; 

 leaving a propensity to kill vipers on the part of the 

 bitten dog. This is very strange, extremely unlike 

 the "once bit, twice shy" nature of most animals. 

 An account in Science-Gossip relates that a dojr 

 who had recovered from an adder's bite perpetually 

 hunted his enemies, killing them very cleverly by an 



attack from behind that broke their backs before they 

 were aware of his presence. The retriever before 

 mentioned was described as "dead on adders." Is 

 it the result of a sense of self-preservation in the 

 canine brain? The injury to our dog is not the first 

 experience of an adder's bite in our family. Many 

 years ago one of us, when a child, was bitten on the 

 same moor. This was in April, when the vipers are 

 not so virulent as in July and August. The wound 

 was very carefully sucked and cauterized by the family 

 doctor, who dosed his patient with ammonia and 

 brandy. After being for some days the medical lion 

 of the neighbourhood, the bad effect entirely disap- 

 peared, though a prick on the nerve of the injured 

 finger serves, to the present day, as a reminder of the 

 adventure. 



Undoubtedly an adder's bite is sufficiently serious, 

 either to a human being or an animal, to require 

 careful attention, given as soon as possible ; and 

 during dog-doctoring care should be taken that the 

 animal does not bite, as this might result in a nasty 

 blood-poisoned wound. After a few days our own 

 canine patient recovered spirits and appetite, the 

 stiffness relaxed, and the dog was himself again. 



Sometimes it is said that valuable sporting dogs 

 are fatally injured by adder-bites. Is this because the 

 injury is not taken in time, or that the owners 

 immediately destroyed the animal, under the 

 impression that there was no chance of recovery ? 

 After the difficulty we have experienced in finding 

 out any particulars about dogs bitten by vipers, or 

 any cures for them, we think that other lovers of 

 dogs, whose pets have, in local parlance, been " stung 

 by adders," will be glad to know that the evil is 

 curable, and that there is no reason to ensure its 

 fatality with a bullet. 



Beatrix F. Ckesswell. 



August, 1889. 



NATURAL HISTORY NOTES FROM NEW 

 ZEALAND. 



RN. H. writes (Kohimarama, Auckland, N.Z., 

 • 19th May, 1889) :— I am glad to learn that 

 you are still taking interest in the Selborne Society, 

 for I should say it is likely to do a great deal of 

 good, if only in drawing attention to the worse than 

 useless slaughter of poor birds for their plumage — an 

 abominable thing. 



Boys do not seem to go "bird's-nesting" here; I 

 rather wish they would, as many of the imported 

 birds increase too fast altogether, and become a 

 perfect nuisance. For instance, I sowed some grass 

 seed on our little paddock in front of the house 

 yesterday afternoon ; and early this morning, and 

 late too, larks in numbers were busy picking it up 

 (English skylarks). And as I bought the seed and 

 had to employ a man and horses to harrow it in, that 



