7<> JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, 1890. 



uo attempt is made to discriminate the species to which the recorded 

 deaths are attributable, and little if any reliance could be placed 

 in the statistics, even if such an attempt were made. But the 

 conclusion stated above may, I think, be fairly drawn from the 

 fact, which is very clear from the returns in their present shape, 

 that in all those districts (e.g. Sind and Katnagrri), where the Echis is 

 known to abound, the average mortality from snake-bite is markedly 

 high, while conversely, the mortality is insignificaut in other 

 districts where the Echis is either rare or absent. The following 

 table, which I have compiled with some care and labour from the 

 official returns for the eight years, 1878 — 85, shows the population, 

 the actual average mortality, and the mortality £>er mille of each 

 district in the Bombay Presidency: — 



District. 



Hydrabad 



Thar and Farkar 



Karachi 



Ratmigiri 



Thana .. 



Panch Mahals 



Shikarpar 



Sarat 



Kaira 



Broach 



Upper Sind Frontier 



Kolaba 



Ahmedabad 



Sattara 



Kanara 



Belgaum 



l'oona 



Dharwar 



Khandeish 



Bijapur 



Nasik 



Ahmednagar 



Sholapur . 



Thus three Sind districts and Eatnagiri, in all of which the Echis 

 swarms in suitable localities, stand well at the top of the list with 

 an average mortality, taking the four districts together, of • 20 5 per 

 1000. On the other hand, in the last four districts on the list, viz,, 

 Bijapur, Nasik, Ahmednagar and Sholapur, the combined average 



