NOTES FROM THE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 577 



squeaked convulsively the moment it was bitten, and several 

 times afterwards. It lay motionless for half a minute, 

 appearing to be dead, but gave one slight start afterwards, 

 and was perfectly still before three minutes expired. 



In stating these periods of time decisively, it is by the 

 watch. When I did not keep my watch in hand, I do not 

 state the time so positively. 



Between those larger African vipers, when all are in full 

 vigour, there would appear to be not much difference in 

 power of bite. A ' River Jack ' ( Vipej-a rhinoceros) struck 

 a guinea-pig, holding it in his mouth till dead, which was 

 in less than two minutes. Poor little piggy struggled 

 convulsively the first few moments as if in pain ; then only 

 gasped as if labouring to breathe, but soon was insensible. 



The poison of Cenchris piscivoriis, though a much slighter 

 snake, seems as potent as that of the rattlesnake. One of 

 these struck a guinea-pig — the action being so swift that 

 some of us who were attentively observing were not sure 

 that the animal had been bitten at all, except from the 

 instantaneous effects, the guinea-pig leaping frantically and 

 dashing itself about for a few seconds ; then it sank 

 gasping heavily, and kicking convulsively, until in a few 

 minutes life was extinct. Some of the creatures live ten 

 minutes, others not ten seconds. I was glad to observe that 

 in most cases insensibility rapidly overcame them. And 

 without exception, it was observable that of the two — the 

 snake or the destined food — the first named was by far the 

 most alarmed, or 'charmed.' In the actions of the 

 little creatures thrown into the cages, there was a fear- 

 less, unsuspicious freedom, when once they had recovered 



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