70 INTRODUCTION 



results unless a remedy be speedily applied. On the 

 other hand, the Indian and "Malay Lachesis seldom 

 cause the death of man, their bite in some instances 

 being no worse than the sting of a hornet. The 

 bite of the larger European Vipers may be very 

 dangerous, and followed by fatal results, especially 

 in children, at least in the hotter parts of the 

 Continent ; whilst the small Vipera ursinii, which 

 hardly ever bites unless roughly handled, does not 

 seem to be possessed of a very virulent poison, and, 

 although very common in some parts of Austria- 

 Hungary, is not known to have ever caused a serious 

 accident. 



It is noteworthy that the size of the poison fangs 

 is in no relation to the virulence of the venom. 

 The comparatively innocent Indo-Malay Lachesis 

 alluded to above have enormous fangs, whilst the 

 smallest fangs are found in the most justly dreaded 

 of all snakes, the Hydrophids. 



Little is known of the physiology of the poison of 

 the Opisthoglyphous Colubrids, except that in most 

 cases it approximates to that of the Proteroglyphs. 

 Experiments on Ccelopeltis, Psammophis, Trimero- 

 rhinus, Dipsadomorphus, Trimorphodon, Dryophis, 

 Tarbophis, Hypsirhina, and Cerberus, have shown 

 these snakes to be possessed of a specific poison, 

 small mammals, lizards, or fish, being rapidly 

 paralyzed and succumbing in a very short time, 

 whilst others {Eteirodipsas, Ithycyphus) do not seem 



