Poisonous Animai^s of the; Dijsiurr 383 



sparrows or twenty mice. That from a Corsican species was equal Iv^ 

 powerful, but with effects on sparrows and mice reversed. 



In the course of preparation of this bulletin the writer was 

 quite surprised on failing completely to find any record of a case 

 of tarantula bite. Original sources were not available to any ex- 

 tent, but when the authors of three special works have similarly 

 failed to find such record it may reasonably be supposed that it is 

 non-existent. At this juncture we had recourse to inquiry from 

 physicians of Tucson. Five were consulted with the following re- 

 sults : Two reported never having seen a case of tarantula bite, 

 and one of these has had twenty-five years' experience in Tucson. 

 Of the other three, one reported two cases ; the second, with twelve 

 years' experience, had himself been bitten on the leg, and had seen 

 three other cases in addition to his own ; while the third of these, 

 with thirty-six years of practice in Tucson, had seen but one case. 

 Since there seem to be no other records, these cases are worth 

 stating specifically. 



Case 1 was that of a railroad laborer bitten on the hand. The 

 arm became much swollen to the shoulder and became discolored 

 with suffused blood, — "black-and-blue." The more serious results 

 lasted two or three days, but a state of depression lasted for some 

 time, and complete recovery took some weeks. This case was 

 bitten in daytime on accidentally bringing the hand in contact with 

 a tarantula, in the act of turning over a stone. 



Case 2 was an old man 70 years of age, Mexican, bitten on the 

 side of the neck in early morning. When seen by the physician 

 several hours later the neck was badly swollen, the line of the chin 

 continued straight down to the body. Numbness was at first ex- 

 perienced. Recovery was a matter of a few days. The tarantula 

 was killed. 



Case 3 was bitten on the lip. Numbness and much swelling 

 followed, as in Case 2. The tarantula was killed and brought to 

 the hospital with the patient. 



Case 4, the physician, was bitten on the leg several years ago, 

 and scar still remains. This physician reports his own case and 

 the other three attended by him as swelling somewhat, though not, 

 extensively, and as becoming blue from sub-cutaneous hemorrhage, 

 the blueness lasting for a long period. In these cases is also re- 

 ported a digestive action from the venom, resulting in sloughing 

 ulcers, which were very slow to heal. 



These cases are unquestionably authentic, as to the animal re- 



